Virginia educators plan to vie for additional education stimulus money through a competitive grant process offered by the federal Department of Education, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and State Superintendent of Instruction Patricia I. Wright said today.
The state is working on a regional proposal with Maryland and Washington to win some of the $5 billion in competitive grants that will be awarded to states most aggressively pursuing reforms, Wright said.
That pot of money includes $4.35 billion in Race to the Top funds "to help states with bold plans to improve student achievement" and $650 million to assist school districts and non-profit organizations with track records of improving student achievement, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
Virginia is already slated to receive money through other stimulus channels, such as increased funding for established federal programs like Title One.
Wright said that while talks are ongoing, the regional proposal may include improving Virginia's student identification system, which tracks students from pre-K through 12th grade, assessing adolescent literacy and creating more online resources for teachers.
Applications for the grant money are not yet available but should be later this spring. Grants to states will go out in two rounds over the next year, beginning in October 2009, acording to the federal education department.
Kaine spoke to the Board Virginia of Education this morning, congratulating the panel on several initiatives undertaken despite challenging financial circumstances.
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