Incline Village Schools

President Barack Obama on Monday offered an incentive of $900 million in grants to school districts that radically change the strategy to improve or shutter their worst performing schools.

In his speech, Obama said states would be asked to identify schools that perform at persistently low levels, with graduation rates of 60 percent or less.

The other requirement is that schools meet the threshold for a Title 1 school, which is 75 percent of a student body meeting poverty criteria.

It appears that none of the district's high schools would qualify under this criteria, but that six or seven schools in the district would be eligible if approved by the government, Superintendent Heath Morrison said.

"The state's list isn't final yet, it's being vetted by the federal government," Morrison said. "But we might be able to get $5 million to $7 million to do some pretty amazing things with six or seven of our schools.

"The other side of that is that there are some pretty strict requirements to get that money," he said.

To qualify, however, for the School Turnaround Grants, he said, the school districts must agree to pursue at least one of four measures: firing the principal and at least half the staff of a troubled school; reopening it as a charter school; or closing the school altogether and transferring students to better schools in the district.

A fourth measure offered under the president's plan fits more closely with some elements of the school district's strategic plan overhaul now under way.

The final alternative to qualify for the money would be to bolster teacher effectiveness, instruction, learning, teacher planning time and operational flexibility.

"Any of those scenarios would require removal of the principal," Morrison said.

The district's principals were briefed on the grant program last week by Deputy Superintendent Pedro Martinez and grants coordinator Kristen McNeill.

Morrison said that the principals at schools that might be on the list have been notified and that they all have said they would do what was best for their schools.

"They've all said this hurts, that they were doing their best, but if it means not going after that money, that we have to do that for their school," Morrison said. "And that's leadership. to me."

Obama already included in last year's economic stimulus bill $3.5 billion to help low-performing schools.

The administration also is putting $50 million into dropout prevention strategies, including personalized and individual instruction and support to keep students engaged and using data to identify students at risk.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.