Legislature passes Race to the Top education reforms

"These and other reforms clearly set the stage for the governor to submit a competitive application for California to bring home a coveted Race To The Top grant," Assembly Speaker Karen Bass said.

Many of the proposed changes -- including updating data collection and standards -- would help California meet the basic eligibility requirements for the grants. 

California appears to be staking its application on an unorthodox reform measure: a so-called "parent trigger" that would let parents at failing schools demand changes in staff, leadership and operation, even inviting a charter to take over from a school district.

The California Teachers Association, the state's largest professional employee organization, opposed both bills, saying it would create chaos in school districts, drain resources from local classrooms and punish lower-performing schools without providing needed assistance.

"If there is a school (that) is having issues, then you should give the schools support so they can improve," said Rick McClure, president of the Ontario-Montclair Teachers Association. "Worse than that, that district is responsible for the transportation of the student to the other school."

Some Democrats fiercely opposed the trigger outlined in SBX5-4, which would apply to schools that have failed to meet federal benchmarks for several years in a row.

Those schools are in at least the third year of what the federal government calls "program improvement."

Already, under the federal No Child Left Behind law, school districts have the option to reconstitute, change or close failing schools.

What is different in these new bills is that such change now could be forced by parents.

If 50 percent of parents at those schools sign a petition, the school would have to reconstitute its staff, invite in a charter school or enact other significant reform -- "basically hit the reset button," said Ben Austin, executive director of Parent Revolution, the year-old group that already has forced similar parent-empowering changes on the Los Angeles Unified School District.

But while it's an innovation unavailable in other states, the trigger isn't an idea that will necessarily gain California any points in Race To The Top competition.

California has skirted the kind of fundamental change, particularly to ensure teacher quality, outlined by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, observers said.

And the state's bid mostly ignores that area that is the largest chunk of the federal application: teacher and principal quality, a touchy subject with teacher unions.

That, observers say, will handicap California as it competes with other states for stimulus money. In encouraging educators and politicians to reform policies and laws to qualify for federal funds, "you have to be willing to fundamentally challenge the status quo," Duncan has said.

"Some states will be paralyzed by crisis and not be able to move; others will seize the opportunity and move forward."

Suzanne Miller, president of the Claremont Faculty Association, said the tiny bit of money being offered doesn't come close to what has been cut from California's education budget.

"And it's so nebulous because we're not sure what is expected from educators to get that money," Miller said.

The Claremont Unified School District expects to receive about $50,000, a small chunk of change compared to what it's going to cost to implement the requirements, she said.

"This is a huge rush," Miller said. "You're going to sign your life away for this tiny-little money and not research if it's good for kids and education. Of course, it's a rush because it's a race, but it seems like it's more a race for the money."

States also have to show progress in other areas, such as data collection, acceptance of common standards, charter school encouragement and turning around low-performing schools.

Privately, many educators said California is unlikely to win its bid for first-round Race To The Top funding, which will be awarded in June. However, the state might qualify in the second round, which will be distributed in the fall.

To qualify for the stimulus funds, California could have distinguished its application by outlining how it would ensure the best teachers get assigned to the most struggling students, former state Sen. Kevin Murray said.

Instead, it's left it to local districts to figure out that area, said Education Trust's executive director, Arun Ramanathan.

Duncan has focused on teacher quality because research shows it is key to student success.

"Great teachers make tremendous differences in students' lives," he said.

But Miller said linking teacher evaluation to student test scores is "a huge no-no" and that it is not a good indication of how well a teacher teaches.

A few states have taken on teacher quality. Rhode Island has eliminated tenure. Massachusetts, Colorado and Florida also have enacted significant reform. But those are the exceptions.

Like California, most other states have been reluctant to tackle teacher assessment and tenure.

Instead, California's application trumpets its achievements over 10 years, in student assessments and intervention in low-performing schools.

"Resting on the laurels," Murray said, "of what we've done in the past and not taking bold new steps is going to put us at a disadvantage."

San Bernardino City Unified Superintendent Arturo Delgado said that while he's a believer in change, parent involvement, more choices and holding people accountable, he's not for being rushing into any of the ideas.

"The real issue is the rush in which we're making these decisions," Delgado said. "And I don't think that's the right motivation. Rather we should be doing what is best for our kids."

Staff Writer Canan Tasci and the San Jose Mercury News contributed to this report.