NEW YORK (WCBS 880) -- Changes in public schools could materialize if Connecticut and other states qualify for the U.S. Department of Education's $5 billion grant called "Race to the Top".
At stake for Connecticut is more than $100 million.
However, there are preconditions for eligibility that would require policy changes, reports WCBS 880's Fran Schneidau.
One precondition is the controversial issue of linking teacher merit pay to improve student performance.
"That means that there would be differentials in pay for teachers based on either their discipline. That is a math teacher might be paid more than say an art teacher," said State Board of Education Spokesman Tom Murphy.
Murphy says it raises the issue of fairness.
"Is the teacher who gets the honors class an automatic advantage, whereas the teacher who is working with children who have language barriers at a disadvantage, etc," said Murphy.
In Connecticut, any changes would have to be approved by the state legislature, but the Board of Education hopes to apply for more than $100 million in federal grant by the end of 2009.
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