OGEMAW COUNTY — Leaders of the county’s school districts have expressed their unhappiness with Michigan not being named one of 15 states that were finalists for the federal Race to the Top education grant during the first phase of the grant process.

“I’m disappointed from the standpoint that it would have meant some additional money for our district,” said Dave Marston, West Branch-Rose City Area Schools Superintendent. “With the state of school aid today, any additional sources of revenue would be good news.”

He added that if Michigan had received $400 million in federal grant money, as hoped, then West Branch-Rose City would have received an additional $243,000.

“That would have taken some pressure off our 2010-11 budget,” he said.

Likewise, Whittemore-Prescott Area Schools Superintendent Ted Matuszak said he was “disappointed” that Michigan was not selected as one of the 15 states that are now finalists for the award. He said he hopes the state can improve its chances of receiving funding during the second round of the funding process.

“We need to improve our plan for Phase 2,” he said. “Hopefully, we’ll have some feedback of where Michigan was deficient.”

Matuszak added that if Michigan had received the grant money, then the W-P district would have received an additional $208,634 in funding.

Hale Area Schools Superintendent Rhonda Provoast could not be reached for comment as of press time.

In January, all three county school districts announced their support for the state’s Race to the Top grant application by signing a Memo of Understanding before a Jan. 8 deadline. The support for the Race to the Top grant coincided with recent state legislation signed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm on Jan. 4.

The legislation gives the state increased power to take control of individual schools whose students are consistently scoring below average on standardized state tests. In addition, it also changes the legal dropout age from 16 to 18, and allows other certification for teachers besides a four-year teaching degree.

In a March 4 statement on the state’s Web site, Granholm said, "We always believed it was in Michigan's best interest to apply for Race to the Top funding early, even if we didn't receive a penny in the first round of funding. The Department of Education will now provide us with detailed feedback on our plan, allowing us to strengthen our application for round two.”