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Hillsborough County School District Named Top Urban School Board

Posted on: Monday, 3 October 2005, 15:00 CDT

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Oct. 3 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The School District of Hillsborough County in Florida has been named the winner of the 2005 Council of Urban Boards of Education's (CUBE) Urban School Board Excellence Award.

The award is presented annually to a school district that best demonstrates excellence in four core areas: board governance, closing the achievement gap, academic achievement, and community engagement. The award, sponsored by McGraw-Hill Education, was presented to the Hillsborough School Board at CUBE's annual conference in Las Vegas on October 1. A press conference and community gathering to recognize the school board will be held on October 6 at the Sam Rampello Downtown Partnership School in Tampa, Fla.

"We applaud the Hillsborough school board and its community for taking risks and bringing change to ensure each student achieves. This board is truly an outstanding role model for school boards across the country, whether urban, rural, or suburban," said Anne L. Bryant, executive director of the National School Boards Association. "Hillsborough County School District has shown terrific leadership by defining its priorities and committing itself to public engagement and, in doing so, finding a winning formula for creating high performing students at all levels."

"It's always gratifying to be recognized for the good work that we do in Hillsborough County,'' said Hillsborough County School Board Chair Candy Olson. "To get national recognition from such a prestigious group is even more exciting. This award is shared by all the students, parents, teachers and staff who have made student achievement our number one priority. Our hard work is paying off.''

Hillsborough County School District is the ninth-largest school district in the United States. It encompasses Tampa, Fla., as well as suburban and rural areas. The minority-majority district's 192,000 students speak more than 70 languages and about 45 percent are eligible to receive free or reduced price meals. The district will receive a $5,000 contribution to its student scholarship fund. The Norfolk, Va., Public Schools and the San Antonio Independent School District were finalists for the award.

"Hillsborough County School District's governance team stands among the nation's leading urban school districts in making student achievement for all a reality. We commend Hillsborough and the finalists for their exemplary school board vision and leadership. We firmly believe it is important to recognize the commitment and dedication of school boards to raise student achievement," said Daniel Domenech, senior vice president of National Urban Markets for McGraw-Hill Education.

The CUBE award highlights the link between urban school achievement and successful school board governance. The Hillsborough County School Board and its superintendent have relied heavily on community input in developing their district's vision.

Hillsborough's strategic plan has included taking risks. This year the district created a new initiative to establish a salary differential program for teacher recruitment and retention. Veteran teachers who chose to work with high-poverty students earned a 10 percent boost in pay; new teachers who met federal standards for being "highly qualified" received a 5 percent hike; and teachers with National Board Certification received an additional $8,500. This year's efforts resulted in seven exemplary teachers transferring to one of the county's most challenged schools.

Additionally, Hillsborough County has gone to unusual lengths to involve parents as partners in their children's learning. A parent resource bus staffed with certified teachers visits neighborhoods, community centers, clinics, and homeless shelters to give parents tips on helping their children succeed in school. Last year, Hillsborough's schools reported more than 1.4 million volunteer hours and more than $42 million in donated goods and services.

The School District of Hillsborough County believes "success for all students" is more than a slogan. To make it a reality, every school board agenda has academic achievement highly visible and members relentlessly focus on student achievement and data- driven decision-making. Hillsborough, under the state's grading system, ranked first in achievement for students with disabilities, with a 74 percent graduation rate.

"The Hillsborough County School Board leadership has embraced accountability and made significant steps to improve student achievement. It is an excellent example of how an urban school board culture of communication, respect, commitment, and responsibility can make such a positive change in their district, their communities, and their students' well-being," said Brian Perkins. "CUBE and its member districts commend Hillsborough for a job well done."

The Hillsborough school board consists of five members who are elected by district and two who are elected at-large. Board members serve four-year, staggered terms. MaryEllen Elia, a longtime district administrator, was named superintendent this summer.

The Council of Urban Boards of Education is the urban initiative of the National School Boards Association. CUBE currently has 108 member districts, including the 10 largest school districts in the United States, with an enrollment of more than nine million students. CUBE's mission is to create opportunities for urban school board leaders to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to be effective policy makers and advocates for excellence and equity in public education.

The National School Boards Association is a national federation of state school boards associations that represent more than 95,000 school board members who govern the nation's public schools. The organization's mission is to foster excellence and equity in public elementary and secondary education throughout the United States through local school board leadership.

About McGraw-Hill Education

McGraw-Hill Education is a leading global provider of electronic and print products for the pre-K through 12th grade, higher education and professional markets. It is a division of The McGraw- Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), a global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's and BusinessWeek. Founded in 1888, the Corporation has more than 300 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2004 were $5.3 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com.

http://www.usnewswire.com

Source: U.S. Newswire

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