Long Beach teachers union says it was left out of federal grant effort

08-27-2010

By Greg Mellen/Long Beach Press-Telegram

A day after documents released by the U.S. Department of Education showed weak support from teacher unions as a key factor in California's failure to win money in the Obama administration's school reform competition, Long Beach teachers say they were never asked to the table. And even if the Teachers Association of Long Beach had been asked to lend its support for the $4.35 billion grant contest, it is unclear whether a nod would have been forthcoming. California, which stood to win as much as $700 million, placed 16th among 19 finalists in the second round, scoring 424 out of 500 possible points. A group of 10 winners was announced Tuesday in the second round of the $4.35 billion grant contest, which rewards states for reforms designed to improve low-performing schools, boost graduation and close achievement gaps. Locally, there were mixed feelings among teachers about the benefits and the pitfalls of the grant, and there certainly was no rush to support the effort. But the Teachers Association of Long Beach said the bottom line was that it was not asked to take a position either for or against the grant. (more…)

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Long Beach teachers union says it was left out of federal grant effort

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