In a joint press release, the Athol-Royalston Regional School District Committee, the Superintendent of Schools, and the Athol Teachers Association, reported that, after much study and discussion, they have mutually agreed not to seek federal “Race to the Top” (RTTT) funding during this current round.

According to School Committee Chairman, Lee Chauvette, “Although we fully support initiatives to improve student achievement, we have decided that applying for this grant is not right for the district at the present time.”

Superintendent Anthony Polito stated that,   “At this point, more educational research is needed before we can begin to accurately and fairly evaluate teacher and principal performance based on student test scores.”

Athol Teachers Association President, Linda Harris, added that, “Our district is already working toward many of the goals outlined in the RTTT initiative.  For instance, over the last several years, our teachers have been analyzing student performance on the MCAS tests, and then modifying their instructional practices to improve student achievement.  As a result, our students have made significant gains on these tests, and we expect this upward trend to continue.”