Colorado U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and Mark Udall today congratulated the St. Vrain Valley School District on winning a competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Race to the Top – District (RTT-D) competition. Only 16 districts out of 372 applicants from across the country won grants. St. Vrain requested a grant in the amount of $16,589,553. The Department of Education has yet to finalize the award amounts.
“As a former Superintendent, I’ve learned that people closest to our kids – parents, teachers, and school leaders – must have the flexibility to make the decisions they think are best,” Bennet said. “This competitive grant allows the St. Vrain Valley School District to move forward with local reforms that personalize learning and prepare students for college and their careers. Colorado has led the country in groundbreaking education reforms, and this is further proof that our state is continuing to lead.”
“I am proud to congratulate St. Vrain Valley Schools for receiving their competitive Race to the Top District grant funds,” Udall said. “These funds will be key to helping the school district focus on finding flexible solutions to improve student achievement. Educating our youth today is the key to ensuring they not only are prepared to join the workforce, but also to keep Colorado competitive in the global economic race.”
The RTT-D competition is awarding $400 million to school districts across the country to support locally developed plans to personalize and deepen student learning, directly improve student achievement and educator effectiveness, close achievement gaps, and prepare every student for success in college and careers.
Last week, Colorado won a $29.9 million competitive grant from the Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) competition.