By Tamas Mondovics
Annual Back To School Press Conference
Superintendent Jeff Eakins, School Board members, students and staff welcomed the media to its annual Hillsborough County Public Schools Back to School news conference, on Monday, August 7, at 10:30 a.m., at Ben Hill Middle School, located at 5200 Ehrlich Rd., Tampa.
The event is an opportunity for Eakins to share some of the district’s goals for the upcoming school year, including district’s promised efforts to continue building a strong school culture at each school while providing an engaging curriculum for the more than 212,000 students.
“Through the dedication of the district’s teachers, administrators and support staff both at the schools and at the district level, Hillsborough County Public Schools continues to increase the district’s graduation rate,” said HCPS communications officer Grayson Kamm.
Kamm emphasized that the most recent graduation rate increased three percentage points to 79.1 percent and the district currently has 996 more graduates than in the prior year.
At the news conference, Superintendent Eakins also explained the district’s systems of support, that he said, “Ensures that our teachers have the tools necessary to be successful in the classroom.”
For more information about Hillsborough County Public Schools please visit www.sdhc.k12.fl.us.
District Welcomes New Educators For 2017-2018 Season
Hillsborough County Public Schools officials including Superintendent Jeff Eakins, School Board Chair Cindy Stuart, as well as other School Board members and district staff welcomed nearly 600 educators, last month to take part in the annual Hillsborough Educators Institute.
The event hostesd by Gaither High School was designed to assist teachers to gain insight into the district and learn to be the most effective teacher in the classroom.
Following the opening remarks, teachers transitioned into sessions organized by area, by school and by grade level.
Day two of the program offered participants a variety of sessions from increasing engagement in everyday classroom activities, classroom management, and knowing your students through data.
According to school officials the theme of the Hillsborough Educators Institute is “Learn, Grow, Thrive” and is the first opportunity for new hires to learn about the more than 212,000 students they themselves will be welcoming in to their classrooms on the first day of school.
District Boasts Of More “A” Schools
Hillsborough County Public School officials were pleased to post the results of the 2016-2017 school grades, released last month by the Florida Department of Education, showed students making tremendous gains.
This release demonstrates that Hillsborough County Public Schools administrators, teachers and support staff are dedicated to student success and advocate for every child, officials said.
During the 2016-2017 school year, 51 traditional schools were graded “A” in 2017, up by 10 from 2016.
In 2017, 38 traditional schools were graded “B”, 15 traditional schools improved their grade from a “D” to a “C” and there fewer “F” traditional schools, dropping to 3 from 7 in 2016.
Seven of the district’s turnaround schools, as defined by the state, have improved and are now in a monitoring status. Just Elementary went from a “D” to a “B”, while Jennings and Van Buren Middle, and Gibsonton, Lockhart Magnet and Reddick Elementary Schools all went from a “D” to a “C”.
Superintendent Jeff Eakins emphasized that there is still more work to be done, but said that he is committed to supporting the efforts of our school staff as we all work to prepare students for life.
“We are committed to student success,” he said. “The school grades show we are doing something significant in the way students are learning and how they are achieving. We have people in our schools who are creating the right culture in our schools, advocating for students and building relationships,” said Superintendent Jeff Eakins.
The 2016-17 school grades, district grades and school improvement ratings are now available at http://schoolgrades.fldoe.org/.
