Oregon Public Broadcasting

A last minute rallying by school districts makes it more likely Washington will submit an application for the next round of federal Race to the Top dollars.

Midnight Monday night is the deadline for superintendents to let Governor Chris Gregoire know if they're in or out. Olympia Correspondent Austin Jenkins reports.

Gregoire wanted all 295 Washington school districts, their unions and principals to support her application.

At stake is $250 million in federal education grants. But wrangling that many signatures was an uphill battle.

Last week fewer than half of districts had responded. But by Friday night that number had jumped to two-thirds.

Gregoire has said Washington needs a robust showing to have any chance of winning the national competition. Chris Gregoire: "I'm not going to embarrass the state of Washington and to me if we do not have a critical mass of school districts signed up, I can't necessarily see myself putting my signature on the application, which is required."

Skeptical superintendents and school boards worry the amount of money they'd get isn't worth the federal red tape.

Gregoire also needs the signatures of union teachers. But some of them are wary of the reforms the Obama administration is demanding in order to qualify for the money.