FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 8, CONTACT: GOVERNOR S PRESS OFFICE (850) media@eog.myflorida.com

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1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 8, 2013 CONTACT: GOVERNOR S PRESS OFFICE (850) media@eog.myflorida.com GOVERNOR SCOTT PRESENTS $8.8 MILLION IN SCHOOL RECOGNITION FUNDS TO HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY SCHOOLS High student performance pays off for district s top schools Tampa, Fla.- Governor Rick Scott today 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

2 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 welldeserved 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

3 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

4 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

5 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

6 participation, and first in the southern region for graduation rate and degrees awarded by the Florida College System. For more information, visit