The California State Senate voted Tuesday to pass Senate Bill X5 1, which would make the state more competitive for federal Race to the Top stimulus funds.
The bill calls for strategies to turn around the bottom five percent of the state's lowest performing schools and authorizes open enrollment at those schools so parents can choose the school their child attends. It encourages school districts to reward teachers who consistently improve student scores and repeal's California's charter school cap. The Obama administration has indicated that these measures would make states more competitive for the $4.35 billion that will be awarded in Race to the Top grants.
Last month Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Senate Bill 19, which eliminated the biggest hurdle to obtaining the stimulus funds. The bill eliminated a statewide ban against tying student test scores to teacher evaluations. U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan had warned California leaders that the state would not see any of the Race to the Top stimulus funds if they did not change the law.
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