County Schools Holds Race To The Top Summit

Read the article

posted April 30, 2010

Governor Phil Bredesen and Tennessee Education Commissioner Tim Webb led a Race to the Top Summit in Chattanooga on Friday.

County Mayor Claude Ramsey, state and local elected officials and business and civic leaders joined with Hamilton County Department of Education Superintendent Dr. Jim Scales to "begin a community conversation on the benefits of Tennessee’s First to the Top law and new federal Race to the Top funding for Hamilton County schools."

Dr. Scales convened the meeting - Bringing it All Together: Hamilton County’s Race to the Top - to discuss Tennessee’s new First to the Top law adopted during the Special Session called by Governor Bredesen earlier this year. The law calls for fundamental changes in teacher and principal evaluation and curriculum, as well as new initiatives related to professional development. Tennessee was also one of just two states to receive new federal funding under the federal government’s Race to the Top program.

“This is an exciting and important opportunity for public education in Hamilton County,” said Superintendent Scales. “We want to make sure that our elected, civic and business leadership are fully engaged in the discussion of the opportunities and challenges before us.”

Among other provisions, Tennessee’s new First to the Top law requires annual evaluations of teachers and principals; creates a 15-member teacher evaluation advisory committee to recommend guidelines and criteria to the State Board of Education; allows local school systems to create local salary schedules for teachers and principals with state approval; and removes limitations on use of certain student-achievement data so the data can be used in making decisions on teacher tenure.

Under the Race to the Top federal grant, Tennessee will receive about $500 million. The money, which is designated for student achievement efforts, will be split 50/50: 50% will fund many statewide reform initiatives and 50% will be allocated to districts across the state based on the number of students who qualify for free and reduced lunch.

Hamilton County is projected to receive approximately $10.9 million over four years. Funds must be used in four areas: professional development for staff, teacher quality and principal leadership, using data to refine instruction and turning around low-performing schools.

Governor Bredesen kicked off the summit, framing how the state plans to implement its First to the Top initiative and how education is a key component of the state’s economic development strategy.

Commissioner Tim Webb discussed school reform from the statewide perspective.

Additional speakers included Dan Challener, President of the Public Education Foundation and a member of the Race to the Top application steering committee and Brad Smith, executive director of SCORE, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization chaired by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist that promotes education innovation and reform in Tennessee.

A group of leaders from Hamilton County Department of Education anchored the afternoon interactive panel about how the funds can be used locally and what the initiative means for student achievement in Hamilton County.

Hamilton County has until May 14 to present its plan for First to the Top to the state department of education. Dialogue from the community summit will be factored into the final plan, which is designed to go into place beginning in July 2010.