'Race to the Top' Delivers $29,000 to the Schools

The Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District will receive $29,000 during the next four years from Race to the Top, a competitive federal education grant program.

School Superintendent Dr. Raleigh Buchanan said the allotment was probably near the bottom of the allotment amounts statewide, mainly because the program wasn't designed for top-performing schools like Hamilton-Wenham.

"If you need to be turned around, there's a lot of money in it," Buchanan said. "As far as we're concerned, it doesn't give much."

Buchanan said Hamilton-Wenham doesn't fit the profile for programs, such as Race to the Top. Also, Hamilton-Wenham is a wealthier district that needs less outside support.

"Our school system doesn't really qualify for a lot of extra aid," Buchanan said. "I don't want to say we're rich, we're not rich. But in a way we are."

Alexa McCloughan, the chairman of the district school committee, said too that Race to the Top is not a big source of money because it is a top-performing district.

But turning around under-performing schools should not come at the expense of a district like Hamilton-Wenham, she said.

"Is the way to do that to pull down the high-performing schools?" McCloughan said. "It needs to be more equitable."

McCloughan, who lives in Hamilton, said the town's small business tax base puts the burden to pay for schools on homeowners.