Teachers Union Won't Sign LAUSD Application for $40M Grant

An effort by the Los Angeles Unified School District to win a high-profile $40 million grant has collapsed because of the refusal of the teachers union to sign the application, a condition for the competition imposed by federal officials, it was reported Tuesday.

The dollars were modest compared to the school system's multibillion-dollar annual budget, but district officials said the Race to the Top grant could have provided critical services as well as additional jobs.

"I'm disappointed," schools Superintendent John Deasy said in remarks reported by the Los Angeles Times. "It's a shame that we won't be able to provide this support for students and hire the staff."

The main sticking point was financial, United Teachers Los Angeles President Warren Fletcher told the Times, asserting that similar grants have committed officials to efforts that cost more than the grants provided and that the LAUSD's $43.3 million proposal seemed headed in the same direction.

Deasy countered that the money would have supported efforts already underway and that private donations would have made up for any costs beyond the grant award.

The district's application focused in the first year on helping 25,000 students in 35 low-performing middle and high schools, the Times reported. The district proposed personalized learning plans aided by digital tablets, summer school, learning projects linked to careers, anti-dropout counseling and other services.

The Race to the Top grant program was extended from states to individual school districts this year.