Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna recently wrapped up a tour of informational meetings across Idaho for the Race to the Top program.

Race to the Top is a $5 billion competitive grant program funded by the federal stimulus package. It will give money to states for education reform programs. Each state must send proposals to the U.S. Department of Education by January 19th to be eligible for the first round of funding.

Luna said Idaho could get $75 to $100 million dollars in federal grant money. That money could show up as soon as April, which is also when lawmakers should be finishing the next state budget, which could be lean on education spending.

In this interview with IdahoReporter.com, Luna said Race to the Top may be the only source of new education spending public schools get in the next two years. He also discussed statewide reform measures including merit-based pay for teachers and longitudinal tracking systems for students and teachers.

School districts' applications for Race to the Top funding were posted on the State Department of Education website Monday. They need to be returned to Boise by January 12, they will be sent onto Washington, D.C. a week later.

During the interview, Luna also said that the state's charter school law won't have to be changed to make Idaho's charter schools eligible for these grants.

Superintendent Luna spoke with IdahoReporter.com about other education issues, including state funding in the next budget. Videos of that interview will be online later this week.