OLYMPIA -- Washington has nearly 9 of 10 school districts signing on for the federal Race to the Top competition, hoping to get a total of $250 million in federal cash for a wide variety of education programs.

Gov. Chris Gregoire and Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn had a made-for-media event late Tuesday morning at Nisqually Middle School in Lacey to give the application a formal send-off. They have 265 of the state's 295 school districts -- covering 97 percent of the total students --  signed on.

A couple of months ago, there was some concern the state wouldn't be able to submit an application because so few districts had turned in their paperwork. But it looks like that was mainly a function of waiting until close to the deadline.

Finalists for the program -- it's competitive, so the Deparemtn of Education will have to pick winners and losers -- will be announced in mid summer, and the winners in early September.

For a list of the school districts, go inside the blog.

Aberdeen

Adna

Almira

Anacortes

Arlington

Asotin-Anatone

Auburn

Bainbridge Island

Battle Ground

Bellevue

Bellingham

Bethel

Bickleton

Blaine

Boistfort

Bremerton

Brewster

Bridgeport

Brinnon

Burlington-Edison

Camas

Cape Flattery

Carbonado

Cascade

Cashmere

Castle Rock

Central Kitsap

Central Valley

Centralia

Chehalis

Cheney

Chewelah

Chimacum

Cle Elum-Roslyn

Clover Park

Colfax

College Place

Columbia (Stevens)

Columbia (Walla Walla)

Colville

Concrete

Cosmopolis

Coulee-Hartline

Crescent

Creston

Curlew

Cusick

Darrington

Davenport

Dayton

Deer Park

Dixie

East Valley (Spokane)

East Valley (Yakima)

Eastmont

Easton

Edmonds

Ellensburg

Elma

Entiat

Enumclaw

Ephrata

Evaline

Everett

Evergreen (Clark)

Evergreen (Stevens)

Federal Way

Ferndale

Fife

Finley

Franklin Pierce

Freeman

Garfield

Glenwood

Goldendale

Grand Coulee Dam

Grandview

Granger

Granite Falls

Grapeview

Great Northern

Green Mountain

Griffin

Highland

Highline

Hockinson

Hood Canal

Hoquiam

Inchelium

Index

Issaquah

Kahlotus

Kalama

Keller

Kelso

Kennewick

Kent

Kettle Falls

Kiona-Benton

Kittitas

Klickitat

La Conner

LaCrosse

Lake Chelan

Lake Quinault

Lake Stevens

Lake Washington

Lakewood

Lamont

Liberty

Lind

Longview

Lopez

Lyle

Mabton

Manson

Mary M. Knight

Marysville

Mary Walker

McCleary

Mead

Medical Lake

Mercer Island

Methow Valley

Mill A

Monroe

Montesano

Morton

Moses Lake

Mossyrock

Mount Adams

Mount Baker

Mount Pleasant

Mount Vernon

Mukilteo

Naches Valley

Napavine

Naselle-Grays River Valley

Nespelem

Newport

Nine Mile Falls

Nooksack Valley

North Beach

North Franklin

North Kitsap

North Mason

North River

North Thurston

Northport

Northshore

Oak Harbor

Oakesdale

Oakville

Ocean Beach

Ocosta

Odessa

Olympia

Omak

Onalaska

Onion Creek

Orchard Prairie

Orient

Orondo

Oroville

Orting

Othello

Palisades

Palouse

Pasco

Pateros

Paterson

Pe Ell

Peninsula

Pioneer

Pomeroy

Port Angeles

Port Townsend

Prescott

Prosser

Pullman

Puyallup

Queets-Clearwater

Quilcene

Quillayute

Quincy

Rainier

Reardon

Renton

Republic

Richland

Ridgefield

Ritzville

Riverside

Riverview

Rochester

Roosevelt

Rosalia

Royal

Satsop

Seattle

Sedro-Wooley

Selah

Selkirk

Sequim

Shaw Island

Shelton

Shoreline

Snoqualmie Valley

South Bend

South Kitsap

Southside

Spokane

Sprague

Stanwood-Camano

Starbuck

Steilacoom

Steptoe

Stevenson-Carson

Sultan

Summit Valley

Sumner

Sunnyside

Tacoma

Taholah

Tahoma

Tekoa

Tenino

Thorp

Toledo

Tonasket

Toppenish

Touchet

Toutle Lake

Trout Lake

Tukwila

Tumwater

Union Gap

University Place

Valley

Vancouver

Vashon Island

Wahkiakum

Wahluke

Waitsburg

Walla Walla

Wapato

Warden

Washougal

Washtucna

Wellpinit

Wenatchee

West Valley (Spokane)

West Valley (Yakima)

White River

White Salmon Valley

Wilbur

Willapa Valley

Wilson Creek

Winlock

Wishkah Valley

Wishram

Woodland

Yakima

Yelm

Zillah

---

---