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GREENSBORO — As the debate about linking teacher salaries to student achievement gathers strength in North Carolina, Washington is throwing its $4 billion dog into the fight.

The U.S. Department of Education announced Thursday it will begin accepting applications from states for its “Race to the Top” grant. The $4 billion grant , part of the federal stimulus recovery act, will be awarded to states that produce plans for major changes to their education systems.

The grant guidelines include requiring that states link student performance to evaluations of teachers and principals.

“States need to look at this money as not just an opportunity to work at the margins but to look at changing the foundations of education,” said Department of Education adviser Dennis Bega. Bega was the keynote speaker at an education forum in Greensboro on Thursday morning.

Bega said several times that the Department of Education believes student performance should be linked to teacher pay.

State Superintendent June Atkinson also attended the meeting, organized by the Guilford Education Alliance . Atkinson said the state intends to apply for between $400 million and $500 million from that grant.

She would not give details about what reforms or changes the state’s grant application will include or if it will require broader performance-based pay initiatives.

“I believe we will be very competitive,” Atkinson said.

The state has for several years paid bonuses to teachers for student achievement, although last year the bonuses were withheld in an effort to help balance the budget.

Like many states, North Carolina currently bases teacher pay on the number of years worked and degrees earned.

School districts have begun to deviate from that plan by offering teachers more money to work in hard-to-fill positions, often in low-performing schools. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools announced this month it will move to a performance-based pay scale. And in Guilford County, teachers can earn up to $18,000 in addition to their base salaries for working in select schools.

Guilford County Schools Superintendent Maurice “Mo” Green was also a featured guest at Thursday’s meeting and reiterated his support for performance-based pay.

“We’ve got to have folk who can deliver,” Green said. “If we don’t have teachers in front of our children who can deliver, we’re wasting our money.”

The debate about performance-based pay has gained momentum in Guilford County since Green’s arrival. The district has formed a team of school officials and teacher representatives to look at the issue. In September, the district sponsored a panel discussion on performance-pay initiatives, and the school board discussed the issue during its fall retreat.

Not everyone supports the idea of linking teacher pay to student performance, including many teachers organizations. Several teachers groups have spoken out against the emphasis that “Race to the Top” places on the issue.

Conservative critics, including the Center for Education Reform , said the grant’s final wording de-emphasizes the link between teacher pay and student performance.

States will have an initial deadline of mid-January and a second deadline of June 1 to file applications. Winners are expected to be announced by late September.

Contact J. Brian Ewing at 373-7351 or brian.ewing@news-record.com