Hillsborough receives $100 million school grant

Tampa, Florida - It is one of the largest domestic investments by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Hillsborough School District is a recipient.

The Gates' are giving $290 million to four school systems to take part in the Measures of Effective Teaching project. Hillsborough receives the largest grant at $100 million, Memphis City Schools receives $90 million, Pittsburgh Public Schools receives $40 million, and the College-Ready Promise a group of charter schools in Los Angeles receives $60 million. The goal is to have effective teachers in every classroom in America.

Hillsborough School administrators listened in to a national conference call when the grants were announced. The $100 million grant over seven years will help gather data on how to best identify, develop and evaluate effective teachers.

"Teachers matter more to student achievement than any other factor inside our school buildings," says Melinda Gates.

"This is a work in progress," says MaryEllen Elia, Superintendent of Hillsborough Schools. 

Fifth grade teacher Danielle Earle from Citrus Park Elementary says she's excited about the project and changes ahead. "It's wonderful to be rewarded for your hard work, make sure it's objective," says Earle.

The project changes teacher performance pay. Elia says years of service won't be a factor anymore. Instead, teacher evaluations and student performances will.

Earle says that will be a fair and objective approach, "The rewards for teaching, not that dangling carrot at the end but the rewards you see with your students, the progress you know they've made, not one test that determines that."

The Gates Grant calls for a change in how teachers are evaluated. Instead of principals doing it, they'll be evaluated by a panel of their peers.

"We know how much time and passion we put into our profession to know someone on the other end comes from the same place, makes it more comfortable," says Earle.

New teachers will have mentors. The district will take 200 to 300 of its top teachers and train them to be mentors and after a few years, they will return to the classroom and another group of teachers will become mentors.

The Gates foundation says Hillsborough already has many of these plans in place and says the grant will take the district to the next step. Hillsborough has raised the bar.

"The ultimate goal is higher student performance. We will have 90 percent of our students' college and career ready by the time we finish this program," says Elia.

Educators say effective teachers will be the key to making that goal a reality.

Hillsborough school officials say the first grant check is expected by January and teacher mentors will be in the classrooms by the fall. The district will match the Gate's grant with $102 million over the next seven years.

Bill Gates donation: Hillsborough & other Tampa Bay Parents chat

Press Releases:

• The Gates Foundation's Announcement
• Announcement from the Hillsborough School Board