The Monroe County School System should not bind itself to new federal regulations in order to receive its share of new federal money through the "Race to the Top" initiative proposed by President Barack Obama and his education officials.

That's what some Monroe County Board of Education members think, while others say the regulations are coming regardless so the school system should go ahead and take the money if Tennessee is made eligible.

The state government must adopt a bill and submit Tennessee's application by Monday to compete for about $485 million out of more than $4 billion in federal education funding the president and his education leaders have proposed to award to only a handful of states through a competition called Race to the Top.

Gov. Phil Bredesen and state education officials feel Tennessee stands a good chance to show the innovation and performance-based accountability the Obama Administration is looking for to win the money.

If Tennessee wins the money, the state would then divide the money among local school systems that have formally applied for their share.
Both the Monroe County and Sweetwater City school systems have applied for the money by having their school directors, Board of Education chairmen and teachers' union sign off on accepting a local share if Tennessee is awarded the windfall.

The full school boards were not required to approve the application.
But Board of Education member Dean Williams was outspoken against getting involved in Race to the Top.
Williams said he feared the federal government is using Race to the Top to grab more control over local school districts.

"It's one of the most dramatic changes we are going to see," he said. "This is a race to cram it down our throats."
Williams said he had studied some of the proposed regulations that would come with Race to the Top.
He said a state board would wind up evaluating local teachers and principals and the state could take over lower-performing schools more quickly.

Williams pointed to new schools and other improvements in the county school system and said the local school system is doing fine without the new federal money that would dry up in a few years anyway.
"We don't need their money," he said. He likened the money to "fool's gold."
Williams called for a vote to reject Race to the Top.

"The Board of Education needs to take a bold move," he said.
Director of Schools Mike Lowry and School Board Chairman Larry Stein said they agreed with much of what Williams said, however they drew a sharp distinction.
Lowry and Stein said the school system would be bound by any new federal regulations regardless of whether the county schools get the money or not.

"We still have to go by the law," Lowry said.
Stein said if the school system did not accept Race to the Top money, it would be the students who lose out when the school system has to redirect money from other programs to meet new guidelines.
Lowry said the school system had received no notification of how much money it would get through Race to the Top if Tennessee wins some of the money.

Whether it would have been binding or not since the director, chairman and county teachers' union leader had signed off on applying might be another question, but Williams at least got his wish and got a vote on his call to reject Race to the Top.
The vote went against Williams, 5-3.

Sonya Lynn and Danny Isbill voted with Williams to reject Race to the Top.
Stein, Dewitt Upton, Janet Martin, Lisa McLemore and Jerry Snyder voted against the call to reject Race to the Top.
Board member Ron Eydt was absent.

In other business, the board will ask Charles Underwood, maintenance director of the school system, to get a cost estimate for inclosing a breezeway between buildings at Tellico Junior High.
Lynn said she received a call that a man had approached students walking between the two buildings and he had told some of them he had been sent there by Jesus.

There were reports the man had later walked over to the nearby elementary school campus.
Lowry said the school resource officer was notified and the school system has the right to remove any people who do not have legitimate business at the schools.
The board voted to approve a Tennessee School Boards Association's recommendation to delete a sentence in the school system policy on corporal punishment.
The TSBA recommended the sentence that read: "In determining the use and degree of corporal punishment, consideration will be given to the age, sex, size, physical and emotional condition of the child."

The TSBA recommended school boards across the state remove that sentence after the American Civil Liberties Union had said it could lead to an ACLU lawsuit, Lowry said.

tommy.millsaps@advocateanddemocrat.com | 337-7101