The New York Times education article In Race for U.S. School Grants Is a Fear of Winning challenged Illinois this week to think about its capacity to support Race to the Top initiative funded programs after the life of the 4 year grant. “One major concern is that should Illinois succeed in the national competition for Race to the Top money, it might not have the ability to finance the long-term costs of any new programs once the federal money has been spent (Yednak and Fretland, 2010).” IL State Representative Suzanne Bassi said she feared any new programs developed using Race to the Top funds may all suffer from possible discontinued funding sources following the grant period. “The federal funds run out, and we all of sudden can’t do anything about it. Then it falls on individual districts, and the taxpayers foot the bill” (Yednak and Fretland, 2010).

I challenge Ms. Bassi to consider that states vying for Race to the Top funds must articulate in section A the state’s capacity to support the grant funds if awarded. This means states should have been in conversations about how to support any and all activities, initiatives, development, etc. beyond the life of the grant and that funding shortages would not be met with sudden panic.  However, I concede, articulating how a state is prepared to support additional funding does not necessarily mean the state has planned beyond the life of the grant. Therefore, part of the implementation planning for the grant must include capacity planning to support initiatives beyond current funding streams. Rallying champions and external support for programs is also critical to the survival of initiatives.  

Strategic and implementation plans must take into consideration how to support the longevity of programs and build in contingencies that take into account possible funding shortages. Critical to the success of such plans is incorporating indicators of success that measure program impact more frequently and formative that program evaluations, helping districts to change course mid-stream and protect any potential loss of impact caused by misaligned funding. 

Districts, be thoughtful about how you use your Race to the Top funds and be mindful that funding sources may not be available. Plan for the strong possibility funding may not always be available and use this knowledge to help shape your overall strategic approach to reform.