INDIANAPOLIS – Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett said Thursday the state won’t apply for $250 million in federal Race to the Top funds if the Indiana State Teachers Association doesn’t sign on to major reforms – and fast.

He sent the association a letter saying the group must show unequivocal support for four specific changes, including using student testing results to evaluate teachers.

If not, Bennett said applying “would be a futile effort.”

Indiana didn’t make the cut for the first round of the $4 billion Race to the Top program.

Second-round applications are due soon; Indiana can receive a maximum of $250 million.

After reviewing comments by judges from Round 1, Bennett said it is clear Indiana needs the support of the association.

About 60 percent of local teacher unions signed onto the initial state application but that percentage was far below the winning applications. And judges noted the lack of a strong letter in support from the Indiana State Teachers Association.

So Bennett has asked the association to endorse four major reforms in a strong letter along with the application. He said this will also encourage local bargaining units to participate.

“Given the scoring rubric as it was applied by the Round 1 reviewers, it is clear that if ISTA will not agree to these basic principles, Indiana will fail in Round 2,” the letter said. “If this is the case, Indiana will not apply.”

Bennett specifically asked for a response within a week.

The reforms that Bennett is pushing include:

•Using student test results and growth as more than half of teacher and principal evaluations

•Using those evaluations in hiring, retention, transfer and layoff decisions

•Using the evaluations in determining pay

•Using the evaluations to determine whether a teacher’s license is renewed

ISTA President Nate Schnellenberger – reached on vacation in Arkansas – had not seen the letter but called the take-it-or-leave-it approach a “cop-out to blame the teacher unions.”

He said states that were successful brought the unions in for genuine negotiations, as opposed to giving a list of demands and being told to get on board.

“If that’s the case there might not be an application. But I need to read the letter and be rational,” Schnellenberger said. “It may be something we can do but at this point I can’t say yes or no.”

Department of Education officials said Bennett met with ISTA officials more than 30 times regarding the first application. And ISTA did send a tepid letter along with the application.

In that letter, Schnellenberger said if Indiana were tapped as a winner, ISTA looked forward to being an active participant in the development and implementation of state plans.

But he also said he was concerned that the group was not allowed to see the state’s application and couldn’t fully endorse it.

Schnellenberger said he will be back in the office Monday to formulate a response to Bennett’s request.

nkelly@jg.net