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Politics & Government

Villaraigosa to Call for District Access to Federal Education Money

The mayor will also propose that individual school districts be granted waivers from the No Child Left Behind Act.

On a trip to Washington, D.C. Friday, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will ask Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to give individual school districts access to hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds, an aide said.

The $4.35 billion "Race to the Top" grant program created by President Barack Obama has limited applicants to states. Villaraigosa wants individual school districts that can show gains in student achievement and graduation rates to be able to apply on their own.

California has not faired well in the application process. The state, which has cut billions of dollars in public education spending in recent years because of insufficient tax revenue, received no money during the first two rounds of grants and just $52 million for early childhood education in the most recent phase.

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Allowing the Los Angeles Unified School District to apply for a "Race to the Top" grant would enable it to expand innovative programs that are proving successful, Villaraigosa told City News Service.

"In times of devastating cuts at the state level, access to federal funds would allow the district to implement programs district-wide, like the new teacher evaluation system that's currently being piloted and the school turnaround program," Villaraigosa said.

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Villaraigosa will also push for the ability of individual school districts to get out from under the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act, a federal program conceived by then-President George W. Bush that ties school funding to performance on standardized tests.

States can apply for waivers from No Child Left Behind, but California education officials deliberately missed a deadline this week to apply. They said conditions set by Duncan for obtaining a waiver are too restrictive.

No Child Left Behind has focused too heavily on school achievement without taking into account school districts' growth, Villaraigosa press secretary Vicki Curry said.

"This has restricted LAUSD's ability to allocate funds to schools that need the most support. NCLB requirements also limit how to use the money at the school site," Curry said, adding that a waiver from the law would give the district the power to spend money on what's best for its students.

Villaraigosa and Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent John Deasy will call for the changes during a discussion Friday on how to improve urban school systems with Duncan and the mayors and top school administrators from Chicago and New York City.

NBC News chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell will moderate the discussion, titled "Education Now: Cities at the Forefront of Reform."

Villaraigosa, who does not have direct authority over the city's school district, tried unsuccessfully early in his tenure for a full takeover of the school system. He was able to create a nonprofit Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, which helps run 22 of the district's lowest performing schools.

"The mayor has had to find other ways to get involved through advocacy, agitation, and grassroots coalition building," Curry said.

Villaraigosa has also worked to make it easier for charter school companies to take over LAUSD schools. The number of charters was about 80 when Villaraigosa took office in 2005. There are nearly 200 charter-operated schools in the city, more than any other school district in the nation, an aide said.

Duncan, Villaraigosa, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg are expected to discuss a broad range of issues, including accountability, school management, strengthening the teaching profession and the importance of school leadership in improving student outcomes.

The mayors and superintendents will have a private meeting with Duncan after the public discussion.

Villaraigosa's trip is being paid for by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. He is scheduled to return to Los Angeles Friday afternoon.

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