The Hillsborough Education Foundation wants to fill a void left by the state and plans to offset some costs teachers pay when pursuing National Board certification.
Bill Hoffman, the foundation's president, said Tuesday that fundraising has begun to help subsidize the $2,500 application fee. The state had been paying 90 percent of the fee for teachers seeking the certification, but ended the practice this year as the economy soured.
Hoffman said the foundation has started off with $32,000 in donations: $12,000 from Superintendent MaryEllen Elia and $20,000 from the Suncoast Schools Federal Credit Union - Suncoast for Kids Foundation.
The money from Elia comes from the $42,437 in bonuses she donated to the foundation and local charities in December.
Hillsborough County saw 150 teachers join the National Board list in December, giving the school system 787 certified teachers.
The school district still must determine how much of the subsidy teachers would get and who would qualify. Linda Cobbe, a school district spokeswoman, said teachers would be reimbursed for some of the application fee after they receive certification.
More than 12,600 teachers, or 7.8 percent of Florida's teaching force, have been certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards in Arlington, Va. Getting certified requires teachers to take a series of tests and submit a portfolio with videotaped classroom lessons. The process takes one to three years, and fewer than half of those who apply make it.
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