Education Awards Program Suspended

An education awards program that recognizes high-performing schools and their teachers will be suspended because of a 23.6 billion dollar state budget deficit. Officials for Governor Davis say the budget crisis has made it impossible for the state to come through on the proposed 200 million dollars in awards.

The news came as state officials released the latest round of scores for the Academic Performance Index, which helps indicate whether schools meet annual, state-mandated targets for improvement. The test also determines whether schools will face sanctions or qualify for awards. It wasn´t immediately known when the program might be reinstated. Since the program was launched in 2000, the state has paid out nearly 820 million dollars.