Oregon Public Broadcasting

Washington State has been shut out of a competition for billions of dollars in federal aid for schools. U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced that the state is no longer in the running for Race To The Top funding.

Washington had applied for $250 million through the program.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn says the money would have been a big relief at a time when schools are slashing budgets.

Randy Dorn: "I was disappointed. In tough budget times, extra resources help. Now we don't have that resource, so it's going to be more difficult to pull off the changes that need to be done in schools."

The funding contest is based on a number of education changes. The federal government wants states to increase teacher accountability and add innovative programs.

Dorn says Washington may have fallen short because it isn't tough enough on teachers and doesn't allow charter schools.

The state could still get a small piece of the Race To The Top pie. It applied for a grant to develop a national standardized test with a group of other states.

The federal government expects to announce the winner of that funding in September.