| 1 | House Resolution |
| 2 | A resolution commending Hillsborough County Public |
| 3 | Schools. |
| 4 |
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| 5 | WHEREAS, in November 2009, the Bill & Melinda Gates |
| 6 | Foundation awarded Hillsborough County Public Schools a $100 |
| 7 | million grant for the Intensive Partnerships to Empower |
| 8 | Effective Teachers, one of the largest privately sponsored |
| 9 | school improvement initiatives in recent years, and |
| 10 | WHEREAS, the grant application process brought together the |
| 11 | school district, school board, and local teacher union leaders |
| 12 | to develop comprehensive, innovative reform plans to support |
| 13 | effective teaching and raise student achievement, and |
| 14 | WHEREAS, Hillsborough County Public Schools demonstrated a |
| 15 | broad-based commitment to raising student achievement, with an |
| 16 | emphasis on reforming how teachers are recruited, evaluated, |
| 17 | supported, retained, and rewarded, and |
| 18 | WHEREAS, the school district, school board, and local |
| 19 | teacher union will partner to develop and implement new |
| 20 | strategies that include adopting better measures of teacher |
| 21 | effectiveness, such as growth in student achievement and college |
| 22 | readiness, using those measures to boost teacher development and |
| 23 | support, tying tenure decisions more closely to teacher |
| 24 | effectiveness measures, rewarding highly effective teachers |
| 25 | through new career and compensation opportunities that keep them |
| 26 | in the classroom, strengthening school leadership, and providing |
| 27 | incentives for the most effective teachers to work in the |
| 28 | schools and classrooms with the greatest need, and |
| 29 | WHEREAS, in March 2008, Hillsborough County Public Schools |
| 30 | received a first place award in the American School Board |
| 31 | Journal's 14th annual Magna Awards program for its "Ought to Be |
| 32 | a Law" student bill drafting competition, an innovative program |
| 33 | that is the first of its kind in the nation and offers students |
| 34 | the opportunity to present a bill to legislators with the |
| 35 | possibility of it becoming a law, NOW, THEREFORE, |
| 36 |
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| 37 | Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of |
| 38 | Florida: |
| 39 |
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| 40 | That the House of Representatives: |
| 41 | (1) Commends the efforts of Hillsborough County Public |
| 42 | Schools and its partners in securing a $100 million grant from |
| 43 | the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. |
| 44 | (2) Recognizes Florida's commitment to raising student |
| 45 | achievement, with an emphasis on effective teaching. |
| 46 | (3) Commends Hillsborough County Public Schools for |
| 47 | receiving a first place American School Board Journal Magna |
| 48 | Award for its innovative "Ought to Be a Law" program. |
| 49 | BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be |
| 50 | presented to Hillsborough County Public Schools as a tangible |
| 51 | token of the sentiments expressed herein. |