With Hurricane Sandy bearing down on the East Coast and threatening a large swath of the nation’s population—and schools—the U.S. Department of Education has announced an extension of the application deadline for the Race to the Top district competition.

Applications originally were due Oct. 30 for the $400 million contest, the latest iteration of the Obama administration’s education-improvement brand. This is the first time the administration opens the contest to districts, which are being asked to pitch proposals on how to bring more-personalized learning to the classrooms.

The new deadline has yet to be determined, according to the Education Department. (The federal government in Washington is closed today because of the storm.)

Regardless of the application deadline, the money will still be awarded in December.

Perhaps this will give Los Angeles Unified, considered a favorite to win an award, more time to negotiate with its teachers’ union?