When President Obama announced his Race to the Top Initiative last November, he stated: "I've got to be honest, we've got to do a better job of moving bad teachers out of the classroom once they've been given an opportunity to do it right." The State of Ohio's Second Round RttT application, supported by the Hudson School District and approved by the US Department of Education, requires participating districts to evaluate teacher and principal performance in setting compensation and making hiring and firing decisions.

Specifically, Section D2 of the application, available on the State DOE web site, states:

"In signing the RttT MOU, the union president, district superintendent, and school board president of every participating school district commit to collaborating to fulfill every requirement of RttT. These include (1) adopting a comprehensive evaluation system that encompasses student growth as a significant factor and aligns with criteria established by the State, and (2) conducting annual evaluations of teachers and principals and using the evaluation results in determining professional development, promotion, retention, advancement, tenure, and removal."

Unlike a non-unionized charter school, the Hudson School District and the teacher's union will have to incorporate these requirements in the next union contract. They have already agreed to do so.

What will the Hudson School District do with the $100,000 it will receive from RttT? The Ohio application states:

"Funds received through RttT will not be used by districts and charter schools to fund their
regular salary system but, instead, must be solely used to support salary bonuses/augmentations
based on student performance or a revamped differentiated teacher compensation system.
Districts and charter schools will also be eligible to use RttT funds to develop compensation
systems for principals that include performance pay based on effectiveness and improved student
achievement."

By agreeing to take just $100,000 in federal funds, the District and the teachers union have agreed in advance to institute pay-for-performance in their next contract. Score one for President Obama!