As I understand the Race to the Top rules, a district can submit a memo of understanding that will keep it in the running for new money. If the local union co-signs, the district gets extra points. If the union refuses to co-sign, the district loses points but isn’t necessarily out of the running.

With respect to the substance of the issues, I’m wary of all doctrinaire positions. For example, although union members are apt reach for a cross and garlic at the mere mention of merit pay, I think we could find ways to reward outstanding performance if we tried. But designing a sensible system is genuinely hard, and many union concerns are valid. At the minimum districts should be fighting for contracts that permit differential pay for teacher with scarce skills. We know we need more students with higher performance levels in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, but unions insist that we ignore that when designing salary schedules. A district may have 20-30 applicants for an elementary school vacancy (a half dozen of them so promising you wish you could hire them all) but only one or two candidates for a high school physics vacancy.

The amount of money involved in Race to the Top probably won’t be very large on a per district basis. Still and all, the program offers an opportunity for useful dialogue between administrators and unions on educational issues, not just money. If money comes through without too many strings, boards should seek union input in their planning. But boards should keep themselves in the game with or without union endorsement. As always, boards need to be ready, even eager, to explain their own decisions to the public.