NORTH PORT, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis awarded $200 million Monday to schools across the state that demonstrated student growth and teaching excellence in the 2021-22 school year.
To qualify, schools must have received a grade of “A” for the 2021-22 year or improved at least one letter grade from the prior year, DeSantis said at the North Port news conference at Toledo Blade Elementary.
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Of those rewarded, schools in all 10 Central Florida districts — Brevard, Flagler, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia counties — received money.
“It’s so important to recognize the hard work of our teachers, to have our kids back in school, to have our community really feel like its on the road to recovery,” Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr. said at the Sarasota County news briefing.
He added all five districts impacted by Hurricane Ian were reopened this week.
Schools can use the funding to issue bonuses to the faculty and staff, purchase educational equipment or materials to assist in improving student performance, or hire temporary personnel, the governor’s office said.
The exact distribution of funds will be determined by the receiving school’s staff and school advisory council.
For more information on the program, click here. To view a full list of the rewards, click here.
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