TALLAHASSEE, Fla. /Florida Newswire/ — Florida Governor Rick Scott on Friday acknowledged Hillsborough County’s public schools that have sustained high student performance or demonstrated substantial improvement in student performance by presenting a check totaling nearly $8.8 million in School Recognition Program funding to representatives from Hillsborough County schools. Schools can use their award dollars for faculty or staff bonuses, to purchase educational equipment or materials, or hire temporary staff to help maintain or improve student performance. Statewide, school recognition funding totals more than $134 million.
Governor Scott said, “Florida students and teachers were ranked 6th for educational quality, our fourth-grade students scored among the best in the world in an international reading survey, and we recently learned Florida students are number one for percentage of students taking an AP exam. What we are doing at the state and local levels to enhance the quality of our education system is working. In conjunction with our proposed $1.2 billion in educational funding as part of the Florida Families First Budget, the school recognition funding will allow our teachers and students here in Hillsborough County and across the state to continue on their path of success.”
Phil Jones, President, Hillsborough Education Foundation said, “The infusion of more than $8.8 million dollars from the School Recognition Program to reward Hillsborough County teachers and schools is a great boost for our school system and local economy. Hillsborough County Education Foundation supports Governor Rick Scott’s Florida Families First Budget proposal to increase funding for this most worthwhile program and we look forward to working with education stakeholders statewide to make the proposal a reality.”
Florida’s School Recognition Program acknowledges the quality of public schools by giving financial rewards based on sustained or significantly improved student achievement in reading, mathematics, science, and writing. Schools eligible for recognition awards include those receiving an “A” school grade, improving at least one letter grade from the previous year, or improving more than one letter grade and sustaining the improvement the following school year. Alternative schools that increase their school improvement rating or are rated “improving” also qualify for awards. The school staff and school advisory council at each recognized school jointly decide how to use the financial award.
“Governor Scott understands rewarding schools for performance promotes even higher achievement,” said Commissioner of Education Dr. Tony Bennett. “His Florida Families First Budget calls for an even larger commitment to the School Recognition Program.”
As part of his Florida Families First Budget, Governor Scott requested an increase in School Recognition Program funding to $125 per student, up from $93 this year. State funding for K-12 education in the Florida Families First Budget totals $10.7 billion – the highest state funding level in history. Included in this historic total is $480 million to support $2,500 pay raises for Florida’s K-12 classroom teachers, plus the cost of associated benefits.
Total funding for K-12 education in the Florida Families First budget is $18.47 billion, an increase of $1.25 billion, or 7.3 percent, over last year’s budget, which also invested $1 billion in K-12 education. This increase represents per student funding of $6,799, an increase of more than $400 over the current fiscal year.
“School recognition funds reward teachers and staff for a job well done and we’re pleased to see so many of our schools being recognized,” said Superintendent Elia. “We have more A-rated high schools than in any previous year of school grading, with nearly 50 percent of high schools receiving an ‘A’ grade. More than 59 percent of elementary and middle schools earned an ‘A’ or ‘B’ grade. I applaud Governor Scott’s proposal for increased funding for schools and for the School Recognition Program in his Florida Families First Budget. Hillsborough County teachers continue to raise the bar for our students and deserve to be rewarded.”
“Governor Scott has the right idea to reward our teachers and staff for their commitment to excellence and noted improvement in our students’ academic achievement,” said Hillsborough School Board Chair April Griffin. “The School Recognition Program has continually provided Hillsborough’s highest-performing teachers and staff with a well-deserved reward.”
“Plant High School is honored to host Governor Scott and applauds his efforts to recognize Hillsborough County teachers and staff for their commitment to student achievement,” said Plant High School Principal Rob Nelson. “The School Recognition Program goes a long way toward rewarding our high-performing teachers and staff. It will be shared among all our teachers and staff because they all contribute to our students’ success.”
The School Recognition Program distribution for Hillsborough County schools is below.
HILLSBOROUGH SCHOOL DISTRICT TOTAL
$8,793,936
Advantage Academy Middle School
98,484
Advantage Academy of Hillsborough
34,194
Alafia Elementary School
86,804
Alexander Elementary School
90,946
Alonso High School
66,027
Apollo Beach Elementary School
59,151
Ballast Point Elementary School
82,107
Barrington Middle School
66,109
Bartels Middle School
99,562
Bay Crest Elementary School
200,824
Bellamy Elementary School
186,670
Benito Middle School
92,421
Bevis Elementary School
59,622
Bloomingdale High School
77,524
Boyette Springs Elementary School
51,979
Brooker Elementary School
219,723
Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate High School
36,536
Broward Elementary School
74,031
Bryant Elementary School
105,072
Buckhorn Elementary School
53,164
Burns Middle School
44,101
Cahoon Elementary Magnet School
52,582
Carrollwood Elementary School
76,552
Channelside Academy Of Math And Science
85,744
Chiaramonte Elementary School
35,641
Chiles Elementary School
94,667
Cimino Elementary School
63,116
Clark Elementary School
125,309
Claywell Elementary School
33,617
Coleman Middle School
67,179
Collins Elementary School
35,264
Cork Elementary School
69,924
Davidsen Middle School
73,878
Deer Park Elementary
77,575
Doby Elementary School
66,331
Dorothy Thomas Center
86,904
Durant High School
60,589
Farnell Middle School
105,909
Fishhawk Creek Elementary School
202,165
Gaither High School
118,306
Gorrie Elementary School
181,486
Grady Elementary School
52,997
Hammond Elementary School
37,524
Heritage Elementary School
70,295
Jackson Elementary School
56,681
James Elementary School
44,220
Just Elementary School
82,530
Kids Community College
44,455
Lake Magdalene Elementary School
35,411
Learning Gate Community School
71,276
Lewis Elementary School
56,534
Liberty Middle School
111,153
Limona Elementary School
31,257
Lincoln Elementary Magnet School
87,882
Lithia Springs Elementary School
57,372
Lomax Magnet Elementary School
70,227
Lowry Elementary School
52,713
Lutz Elementary School
101,297
Mabry Elementary School
108,875
Macfarlane Park Elementary Magnet School
58,536
Maniscalco Elementary School
74,175
Martinez Middle School
56,441
McKitrick Elementary School
91,159
Middleton High School
113,166
Miles Elementary School
61,356
Mintz Elementary School
209,964
Mitchell Elementary School
56,008
Mount Pleasant Standard Base Middle School
49,226
Mulrennan Middle School
50,677
Newpoint High of Tampa
211,336
Newsome High School
55,002
Northwest Elementary School
217,232
Oak Park Elementary School
181,299
Orange Grove Middle Magnet School
83,040
Pinecrest Elementary School
75,004
Pizzo Elementary School
124,728
Plant City High School
31,912
Plant High School
138,912
Pride Elementary School
63,999
Progress Village Middle Magnet School
56,929
Rampello K-8 Magnet School
62,001
Randall Middle School
76,250
Riverhills Elementary School
220,746
Riverview High School
182,760
Robinson High School
69,090
Roosevelt Elementary School
50,858
Schwarzkopf Elementary School
184,016
Seffner Elementary School
64,608
Sessums Elementary School
71,416
Shiloh Elementary Charter School
5,970
Sickles High School
59,758
Springhead Elementary School
81,405
Steinbrenner High School
68,296
Stowers Elementary School
94,193
Strawberry Crest High School
73,744
Summerfield Crossings Elementary
60,445
Symmes Elementary School
57,785
Tampa Bay Tech High School
31,130
Tampa Palms Elementary School
43,342
Terrace Community Middle School
61,418
Tinker Elementary School
74,490
Trinity Upper School
8,209
Turner Elementary School
14,320
Valrico Lake Advantage Academy
21,269
Walden Lake Elementary School
29,199
Walker Middle Magnet School
26,703
Walton Academy
38,385
Westchase Elementary School
28,457
Williams Middle Magnet School
13,900
Wilson Elementary School
20,703
Wilson Middle School
50,333
Wimauma Elementary School
18,148
About the Florida Department of Education:
The department’s mission is to increase the proficiency of all students within one seamless, efficient education system by providing them the chance to expand their knowledge and skills through world-class learning opportunities. Serving more than 3.5 million students, 4,200 public schools, 28 colleges, 188,000 teachers, 47,000 college professors and administrators, and 318,000 individuals who work in education throughout the state, the department enhances the economic self-sufficiency of Floridians through programs and services geared toward college, workforce education, job-specific skills, and career development. Florida ranks first in the nation for teacher quality, first in the nation in advanced placement participation, and first in the southern region for graduation rate and degrees awarded by the Florida College System. For more information, visit www.fldoe.org.
