1.
Purpose of Grant. The purpose
of the grant is to provide federal funds to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to
ensure the equitable distribution of effective teachers and leaders in Georgia.
Funds will be used to as stipends to encourage the teachers and school leaders
to relocate to rural, high-need schools and then as performance bonuses for
meeting academic targets.
2.
Term and Conditions. Grants are awarded through a competitive
process to LEAs that agree to recruit teachers and school leaders to serve in
its schools that are in needs improvement status. The LEAs must set and meet
performance goals that correlate to the school's and district's strategic plans
and missions and provide professional development to its teachers and school
leaders. Recipients must agree to evaluate its program and submit reports upon
request. These reports are collected by the department and sent to the United
States Department of Education (US ED).
3.
Eligible Recipients. LEAs
that have schools that meet the following criteria are eligible to apply for
funding for that school:
The school must be in Needs Improvement Status; the school
must not be a SIG recipient or in a Race to the Top district; the school must
be located in a rural district; and the district must be in the process of
replacing the school's principal for the 2012-2013 school year or have already
replaced the principal for the 2011-2012 school year.
For the purpose of this grant, a "rural LEA" is defined as
either (1) an LEA located in a county with a population less than 35,000, (2)
an LEA located in a county that has been legislatively designed "rural," or (3)
an LEA eligible to receive federal grant funds the Rural and Low-Income School
Program or the Small Rural Achievement Program.
4.
Criteria for Award.
Applications are reviewed and scored by the Georgia Department of Education.
Funding will be awarded based on rank (the highest score first) and available
funding. Funds are awarded for a two-year cycle. Participation in the project
extends through the life of the grant for data reporting purposes.
5.
Directions and Deadlines for
Applying. Requests for information and application should be sent to the
School Improvement Director, Georgia Department of Education, 1854 Twin Towers
East, 205 Jesse Hill Drive, Atlanta, GA 30334 or to cismith@doe.k12.ga.us.
