Gov. Gregoire announces first school district in Washington to join Race to the Top application

For Immediate Release: April 16, 2010

Olympia � Gov. Gregoire announced today that the Wishkah Valley school district is the first district to join Washington state�s Race to the Top application. If successful in its application, Washington state could be awarded up to $250 million in federal education dollars to help implement the state�s plans for education reform.

�Getting buy-in at the local level from our principals, our teachers, our school board members and our superintendents will make Washington�s application stand out from other states around the country. It�s great that the teachers and administrators in the Wishkah Valley district are taking the lead and stepping up to the challenge of education reform,� said Gregoire. �This is the Washington way. By bringing people together to take action, we will improve our schools and make a difference in the lives of our children.�

The Wishkah Valley School district, located near Aberdeen is the first district in the state to sign and submit its partnership agreement indicating their commitment to join Washington�s Race to the Top application. By signing the agreement, the district and its partners are committing to implementing the Washington State Reform Plan. The plan implements Common Core Standards in math and English and other reforms passed by the legislature in the last two sessions.

�We have an opportunity to make significant improvements in our classrooms and give our children the great education they deserve,� said Ray Yoder, Superintendent of the Wishkah Valley School District. �The reforms included in the state�s application aren�t just right for Washington, but they are right for our local school district and we are eager to implement them.�

School districts have until May 17 to return the Partnership Agreement and become part of the application. The state will then finalize its application and submit it to the U.S. Department of Education by June 1. The winners in Round Two will be announced in September, and school districts will then have 90 days to submit detailed work plans.

This year, Washington state made significant gains with the passage of education reform legislation (SB6696), which will improve the quality of instruction in classrooms, update evaluation standards for teachers and principals, and turn around low-performing schools. With key stakeholders collaborating closely on reform, the state has an opportunity to make innovative changes needed to improve student learning in every classroom.

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