District ready to take the money and run Local school officials want the state’s money — no strings attached.
Thumbing their nose at California Governor Gray Davis, the school district and the teachers union say they will take any reward money for increased standardized test scores and redistribute it within the district as they see fit.
The state program, the Academic Performance Index, rates schools based on their increase or decrease in standardized test scores, and then monetarily rewards the teachers and individual schools that top the list. The catch is that the school that is awarded the money chooses how to use it. But local school officials and teacher union representatives want the money placed into one pool and distributed at their discretion.
But state education officials said the Santa Monica-Malibu School District could be challenged on how it is proposing to use the awarded money.
“If the money is spent without the individual school’s consent or according to their plans, then there is an audit problem,” said Bob Furlock, assistant state education secretary of assessment, accounting and finance. “The school district cannot intercept those funds and place them into a single pot.”
“If the money is spent without the individual school’s consent or according to their plans, then there is an audit problem.” — — BOB FURLOCK Assistant state education secretary
The initiative, which still needs to be ratified by individual school administrations in the district, would alter Davis’ program by redirecting funding to schools of greatest need instead of schools with high test scores.
“We are, in my opinion, complying with the letter of the law,” said John Deasy, superintendent of schools. “However we feel the spirit of the law is silent on equity.”
State education officials disagree, and said the school district may be undermining the best interests of the state awards program.
“Theirs is a philosophical argument at best. This is a competitive program, and the money is an award for winning,” said a state education official. “If they don’t abide by the rules, then they don’t seem to be working in the best interests of the law.”
The state implemented the API program in 1999 to award schools that demonstrate the greatest growth in test scores. Schools are given $488 per improved student and teachers can be awarded up to $25,000 to be distributed to the entire school’s staff.
“I think the programs work because of the large amount of local concerns that can be included into how the money is spent,” said Furlock. “Local districts need the strength and flexibility to do what is right in their local district.”
District officials could not say in the past how much money they received from the program, or the amount they expected to receive this year. But Deasy said an estimate would be ready by next month.
School district teachers unanimously voted at a recent union meeting to relinquish any award money they receive to the general pool, said Santa Monica Malibu Classroom Teachers Association President Harry Keiley.
“The proposal is based on district need and takes into account an awards system that we feel is fatally flawed,” said Keiley. “We express great concern for cash gifts in return for student achievement.”
Keiley said many teachers had refused to accept award money previously for increasing their students’ scores because they disagree with the state’s policy.
But now the money would stay in the district and help the schools with larger student bodies, large free lunch programs, and large English as a Second Language programs, all of which need more resources.
“We have students who are struggling to meet the API criteria, and we are very concerned about the issue of equity — especially at the schools with the greatest need,” said Deasy.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 8, 2001. Read the original PDF.