A nearly $1.3 million Florida Department of Education grant is helping George W. Munroe Elementary School in Quincy to host a special summer academy aimed at boosting student achievement.
Schools of Hope Summer Academy runs four days a week, with certified teachers on site providing targeted instruction to approximately 66 students who will be in prekindergarten, kindergarten or third grade next school year.
The grant is part of Munroe Elementary’s “Turnaround Option Plan,” required because of the school’s low grades over the past few years.
Starting in the 2017-2018 school term, the state department of education will pay George W. Munroe $1.3 million, over a two-year period.
The school must use the funds to support activities designed to increase student achievement “by providing services that leverage community assets, improve school and community collaboration, and develop family and community partnerships. “
“George W. Munroe has been very diligent in implementing school improvement strategies with fidelity,” Gadsden County School Superintendent Roger Milton said. “And one of the most significant strategies it has used is providing opportunities for continuous learning.”
Tammy McGriff Farlin, the district’s director for elementary education, warned that money grants, no matter how substantial, don’t amount to quick fixes.
“Most educators will agree that money is not the answer to solving the issues that we face; however, we do recognize that access to human and material resources requires funding that may not be normally readily available to us. This Schools of Hope funding allows us to expand our services without an extra burden on the school district,” Farlin said.
By Randall Lieberman
randall@prioritynews.net