'Race to Top' Funds Could Result in Nearly $198K for Portsmouth Schools

On Tuesday, Rhode Island was named one of 10 winners for the second round of "Race to the Top," the federal competition that awards states for education reform.

Rhode Island could receive $75 million in federal funds after ranking fifth in the second round of the $4 billion competition.

The funds are expected to be split with half going towards school districts throughout the state, while the other half will go towards statewide education initiatives. The funds will be used for a variety of education reforms, including teacher training, a new educator-evaluation system and a new system to track education data.

For the Portsmouth School District, the amount of funds received will not lead to vast changes, according to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Susan Lusi.

"I want to congratulate Commissioner Gist and all the members of the Rhode Island Department of Education and state for working hard to secure this grant," Lusi said. "However, the Race to the Top funds will not result in a lot of funding for Portsmouth."

According to Lusi, preliminary budget numbers show that Portsmouth schools could receive a little more than $197,478 over a four-year period or $49,369 per year.

Those funds may only be used for "Race to the Top" grant purposes.

Other Aquidneck Island school districts will also receive funding from "Race to the Top." The Newport School District is expected to receive $641,088, while Middletown schools could see $184,201.

Both of these awards will be distributed over a four-year period. All of these amounts are based on preliminary figures and could change.