Many local schools will soon reap the rewards of high student achievement last year.
Nearly 60 schools in Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Walton counties will receive a welcome infusion of nearly $3.8 million through the Florida School Recognition Program, according to information released by Gov. Rick Scott’s office.
The checks, which will range from $170,299 to $4,489, will be awarded to all public and charter school that received an A grade from the state, improved a letter grade in 2011-12 or sustained improvement from the previous year. Alternative schools that showed improvement or received an improvement rating also will get money.
View the school by school breakdown in funding »
This year’s $134.6 million in funding will be divided between about 1,700 schools across Florida, according to Scott’s news release.
“It’s not factored into anybody’s budget,” said Kaye McKinley, Okaloosa County’s deputy superintendent of schools. “It’s kind of like a bonus.”
Schools can use the money for staff bonuses or to buy equipment and materials. In Okaloosa, schools are required to seek input from as many people as possible, including the School Advisory Council, before they submit a spending plan to the district.
Santa Rosa County schools follow a similar approach, said Superintendent Tim Wyrosdick.
While the money can be put toward capital needs, more often than not it is used to give all staff at the school a bonus for helping children perform their best.
“It is a nice gesture on behalf of the state of Florida,” Wyrosdick said. “It says, ‘We really appreciate the schools.’ ”
Most of the more than 20 local schools that did not receive funding either didn’t qualify for a school grade in 2011-12 or dropped a letter grade.
Schools that didn’t get the money don’t dwell on the issue. Rather, they continue to focus their attention on helping students the best they can, McKinley said.
“It’s a disappointment, but I don’t think our schools and our teachers see the goal of an A school to get the money,” she said.
The funding is determined by how many full-time equivalent students, or FTEs, each school has enrolled. This year, the schools received about $93 per FTE, McKinley said.
They got about $100 last year.
Scott wants to increase that amount to $125 for the 2012-13 school year. The Legislature must approve the recommendation.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Katie Tammen at 850-315-4440 or ktammen@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KatieTnwfdn.