$5.3 m grant for innovative Minneapolis teacher compensation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 18, 2005
Contact: Brian McClung, (651) 296-0001
GOVERNOR PAWLENTY ANNOUNCES MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR GRANT FOR TEACHER PAY PLAN IN MINNEAPOLIS SCHOOLS
~ $5.3 million grant to be shared by Minneapolis and one other urban school district ~
Minneapolis – The innovative Teacher Advancement Program (TAP) compensation program pioneered in the Minneapolis Public Schools received a multi-million dollar boost today.
Governor Tim Pawlenty was joined by TAP Foundation President Lew Solmon, Broad Foundation Chief Operating Officer Kevin Hall, Minneapolis Superintendent Thandiwe Peebles and Minneapolis Teachers Federation President Louise Sundin at Folwell Middle School in South Minneapolis to announce a $5.3 million grant from the Broad Foundation to be shared by Minneapolis Public Schools and another urban school district to expand implementation of TAP.
“This important grant means more Minneapolis teachers will strengthen their skills as teachers and instructional leaders,” Governor Tim Pawlenty said. “It will help students in Minneapolis and will provide additional funds to raise student achievement and work on closing the achievement gap. Education leaders in Minneapolis have led the way in helping us reform and improve the way teachers are paid. We need to pay teachers as professionals and give them opportunities to grow in their careers.”
TAP is an innovative teacher quality program utilized by Minneapolis schools and was the basis for the Governor’s recently approved statewide teacher compensation “Q Comp” proposal.
The Broad Foundation grant will go to the TAP Foundation and will be used to match funds that the Minneapolis Public School District makes available for new TAP sites at a rate of $130 per student. At the present time, The Broad Foundation plans to select one more urban district in the United States to receive a similar grant.
Currently, three Minneapolis elementary schools, Andersen Open, Seward, and Webster, have chosen to implement TAP since November, 2004 under a separate federal grant. Three other schools, Andersen Elementary, Hall Elementary, and Folwell Middle School have voted to begin implementing the TAP program for the 2005-06 school year. Northeast Middle School and Edison High School are considering joining the TAP program during the 2005-06 school year.
“We look forward to partnering with The Broad Foundation and the Minneapolis Public Schools to expand student access to the high-quality teaching that TAP supports,” said TAP Foundation President Lewis C. Solmon.
The TAP approach ties teacher development directly to student and school needs; supports master and mentor teacher positions that give experienced teachers additional career options while keeping them connected to the classroom; establishes regular teacher evaluations; and provides teacher performance pay tied to improved student achievement.
“The strong district and union leadership in Minneapolis make this an ideal city for TAP, and we are pleased that Governor Pawlenty is playing a leadership role in developing one of our nation’s first performance-based professional compensation programs,” said Eli Broad, founder of The Broad Foundation. “We strongly believe that attracting and retaining high quality teacher talent is essential to improving student achievement and closing achievement gaps.”
In addition to any general education or other funding MPS directs to TAP, the district could also qualify for state funding under the recently-enacted Q Comp. Approved TAP schools in Minneapolis and elsewhere would qualify for Q Comp funding, which The Broad Foundation grant would then complement. The Minneapolis sites implementing TAP would need to submit an application for approval to the Minnesota Department of Education in order to qualify for Q Comp funding.
“Minneapolis’s highly professional teachers can use the TAP approach to build their own effectiveness and job satisfaction, reinforcing their dedication to the real job of teaching, which is helping to increase student achievement,” said Minneapolis Federation President Louise Sundin.
The Broad Education Foundation’s mission is to dramatically improve K-12 urban public education through better governance, management, labor relations and competition. The TAP Foundation establishes public/private partnerships among educators, policymakers, corporations, governments, foundations and individuals to support excellence in teaching and ensure a quality educational opportunity for all students.
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