Indiana officials like their chances of getting a piece of $4.4 billion in education stimulus money that only a few states will be awarded — but the money would come with strings attached.

No one’s quite sure how it will shake out because the Obama administration hasn’t yet released the final rules, but it could within the next few months. Indiana and other states then would submit their applications, probably by the end of the year.

If Indiana is one of the few states selected, school districts will have to decide whether to opt in. The fewer districts that participate, the more money there is to divide among those that do.

Indiana education officials think school districts will have to sign a deal with the state that commits to major changes, including no longer paying teachers solely on years of experience and adding more charter schools.

The U.S. Department of Education has signaled that any winning proposal will both pay teachers differently from one another based on incentives and require that teachers be evaluated in part on student test scores, according to the Indiana Department of Education.

That makes the $4.4 billion one gigantic carrot in controversial areas of school reform.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in Indiana education,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett said. “We have a very clear message from Washington, D.C., that is very consistent with our message.”

Bennett said that if Indiana wants a share — as much as $400 million — it has to commit to those major reforms. And if individual schools want any of that money, they’d have to, as well.

Lackluster test scores in the state show more needs to be done to help Indiana’s children learn, Bennett said. The best ways to do that are to ensure the best teachers are in front of students and to encourage competition between schools, programs and teachers, he said.

The National Education Association, the union representing most Indiana teachers, has objected to the charter school focus and the plan to tie teacher job reviews to student test scores.

Nate Schnellenberger, president of the Indiana State Teachers Association, said he would wait until the final rules came out before speculating but that the state teachers union has long objected to different pay for different teachers and tying test scores to job reviews.

Based just on test scores, it’s impossible to tease out the effect on students of other school staffers, such as those who teach subjects other than math and English, he said, adding that it also raises issues of fairness because some school employees would be judged on test scores but others wouldn’t. Same thing with pay, he said.

Such a plan also becomes unworkable in schools where children constantly move — a statistic referred to as mobility rate — and can’t easily be attached to a single teacher, Schnellenberger said.

The federal money, he said, would be welcomed to achieve other goals, such as funding full-day kindergarten or reducing class sizes by hiring more teachers.

“We think that would be a great thing, to do some of those things,” he said. “We’re certainly supportive of the efforts of the Obama administration and (Education) Secretary (Arne) Duncan to improve instruction.”

Indianapolis Public School Board member Michael R. Cohen, a retired education professor, said he has strong concerns about implementing merit pay and tying job reviews to student performance.

He said he appreciates the recognition that change is needed but said he would be in a tough spot if he had to vote to accept those kinds of changes to get federal money.

“I have great trepidation,” he said. “The problem I have with all of those is that I think they have a solution without really defining what problems we’re facing.”