Teachers union refuses to sign off on LAUSD Race to the Top grant
by By Barbara Jones barbara.jones@dailynews.com, 818-713-3710 Twitter.com/LADNSchools Staff Writer
The Los Angeles teachers union has refused to sign off on Los Angeles Unified's bid for a prestigious Race to the Top grant, costing the district a shot at winning $40 million in federal money, sources said Saturday.
LAUSD had been negotiating for days with United Teachers Los Angeles, in the hope of gaining the endorsement it needed to submit the the Race to the Top application.
Superintendent John Deasy had said he needed the application approved by Friday so there would be make revisions and overnight a finalized copy to the Department of Education in Washington, D.C., by Tuesday's deadline. Sources said talks broke off late Friday, and the district and union had no further contact on Saturday.
Deasy and UTLA President Warren Fletcher could not immediately be reached for comment.
This was the first time the Education Department had opened Race to the Top grants to individual districts, with a total of $400 million to be awarded. Deasy had said he considered the district's application to be ver
