Hormel Grants Millions for Public Schools
By Karen Colbenson, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
Sep. 7–The Hormel Foundation announced today that it will provide $2.8 million to Austin Public Schools to remodel and expand high school science labs and provide teaching staff the opportunity to earn advanced degrees and certificates.
It all started months ago when the school district asked the Hormel Foundation for money to renovate the high school science labs. The foundation board members replied by asking the school district to create a way to support teachers seeking to become teachers of excellence.
In the end, the school district will walk away with both.
Of the total, $1.5 million will be used for remodeling and expanding the six existing science labs and adding two additional labs to the third floor of the high school.
A $1.3 million grant will benefit teaching staff by giving them an opportunity to earn master’s degrees or certification in the subjects of science, math and early education literacy in science. Four additional fellowships will be offered each year for other content areas, such as music or Spanish. The teaching development program will be coordinated and monitored by the University of Minnesota.
“We formed a relationship with the University of Minnesota and came up with this plan that’s never been done before,” said Superintendent Candace Raskin.
Teachers will be able to apply to the University of Minnesota graduate school, and once accepted, the Hormel Foundation will pay the fee for them to participate in the graduate level credits. The courses will be offered in Austin during the school year and the summer. Scientists at the Hormel Institute have agreed to be part of the summer instruction.
“This is a gift,” said Raskin. “It’s a $20,000 investment in a teacher. There were some (teachers) in tears, saying, ‘I can’t believe this; I have kids in college, there’s no way I could afford to go back (to school), and not only am I going to go back, I’m going to get the very best institution in the state providing high-level quality instruction here in Austin.’”
Currently, the district does not offer any advanced placement courses in science, due to lack of lab space and the capacity to teach those higher level courses. By increasing teacher knowledge in the content areas, the school district will be able to offer advanced placement courses in biology, chemistry and physics. Chemistry and physics electives will also be available in the middle school, which will help to get students interested in the subjects at a lower grade level, said Raskin.
According to Raskin, 87 percent of the staff have expressed interest in participating in the teacher development program.
“It is so cool,” said Raskin. “It is so amazing. “It will just change us as a district.”
The University of Minnesota will also make Austin a professional practice partner district, meaning it will use its research to help solve district problems, said Raskin.
Raskin said the school district has never received a grant of this proportion before.
Remodeling of the third floor to accommodate new science labs will begin next summer. The teacher fellowship program could begin as early as next spring.
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Copyright (c) 2007, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.
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