QUINCY, Ill. (WGEM) --School districts across Illinois are weighing cost versus reward. Twenty million dollars of federal grant money is up for grabs as a part of the "Race to the Top" program, and every district that applies will get some money.
But school officials are asking, is it worth the trouble?
Administrators at the Quincy School District office, as well as school board members and the teachers union all have to sign off on the decision.
They say the state hasn't given them a clue as to how much money Quincy could receive, but that's only part of the problem.
"We don't know if the district is going for $3,000 or $300,000" said Quincy superintendent Lonny Lemon.
That's the biggest question facing the Quincy school district when it comes to the "Race to the Top Grant."
And it's one the Illinois State Board of Education can't answer yet.
How much money each district gets depends on how many districts apply, the number of students in the district, and on how much federal aid money for low-income students the district already receives.
"It may not be worth it they can't even give us a range of what we're applying for," said Lemon.
Should Quincy apply and receive the money, the district would be forced to make some big changes that they're not yet prepared for, logistically or financially.
Starting in 2016 the way teacher performance is evaluated will change--it will largely be based on student performance.
But a condition of the grant says the change would be accelerated. Districts would have to comply with the new standards by next year
"There is a lack of understanding of how student growth would be measured so there are so many unknowns so I think that is a challenge. Not only that but the quick timeline, of having to have all this in place or at least some idea of how to present it," said Illinois Federation of Teachers Field Service Director, Michelle Eberlin.
"We're going to have to do it anyways but the risk is we're going to have to speed the process up at least a year and that has concerns. I think that is our major concern for all districts right now," said Lemon.
Teacher evaluation is just one of dozens of things that would have to change sooner if the Quincy school district were to accept the grant, so officials definitely have a lot to consider.
Superintendent Lonny Lemon says the school board will be discussing this in more detail at their February 22nd board meeting.
