Massachusetts asks for a waiver on School Improvement Grants: WEIGH IN!

I'm still working out exactly what this could mean for the Worcester Public Schools, but the state plans, in applying for their next round of School Improvement Grants (you'll remember that this is the money that comes along with Level 4 schools should you follow the state's requirements), to ask for waivers to some pieces of the federal requirements. What I've managed to gather so far:

• They want longer to spend the money they have; they're asking to be able to spend it through 2016.
• They want to be able to have schoolwide Title I programs in schools that has a smaller number than 40% poverty.
• They want to exclude very small schools (because if you have one kid have a bad day, you can send the whole thing skewed).
• Finally (or first, but this is the part I'm still figuring out), they want to stop excluding secondary schools that use Title I funds from the first tier from which Level 4 schools are drawn.

Should you have a thought on any of this, the state is taking comments until January 14.