Race to the Top Offers Opportunities for Reading

The Reading Public Schools district qualified for $35,144 through the federal Race to the Top program. Spread over four years and eight schools, that doesn't amount to much, but Superintendent John Doherty said that district's participation in the program will ease adjustments and give Reading an early chance to try pilot programs.

The district volunteered for the program, he said, with the assumption that Reading wouldn't receive much funding; he, like the superintendents of participating districts that will receive no funding, focused on the promise that Race to the Top could improve the town's quality of education.

"[With] everything I'm seeing and hearing from the state, I think it gives us opportunities that we wouldn't have," Doherty said.

Under the state's administration of Race to the Top, he said, the district will not only have the opportunity to pilot new curriculum materials and other projects, it will be required to.

Additionally, he said, Reading can comply with some of the programs requirements with only minimal adjustments.

For example, he said, all Reading students will need to meet the state's minimum core curriculum standards. Ninety-six percent of Reading graudates already conform to those standards, he said, and the difference on the remaining four percent is a single math class.

Similarly, Doherty said the district will be able to "tweak" its existing teacher evaluation system to meet the statewide evaluation framework to be unveiled in the spring.

That aspect of the program raised concerns among at least one school committee member that likes the district's current system .

"I'm just concerned that it's not going to be as good as it is if we have to tweak it down to something else," said committee member Lisa Gibbs.

"We wouldn't do that," Doherty said.

However, Doherty said, the district will apply to try a new system for managing teachers and staff, but noted only a handful of districts will be selected for the program.

In total, the district will participate in five of the six areas outlined by the state. Reading is exempt from one area because it does not have any low achieving schools.

The district will have to submit its Race to the Top plans to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education by October 22.