Noblesville Schools has been selected to receive a $630,000 Indiana Excellence in Performance for Teachers grant. The Indiana Dept. of Education recommended to the State Budget Committee that 40 school corporations and schools receive a portion of the $10 million earmarked for the grant program.
Noblesville Schools Superintendent Libbie Conner said this grant would be used strictly to compensate teachers evaluated as effective and highly effective.
“It really helps when they can receive addition gratification for their hard work,” she said. “I’m proud to say most of our teachers earn the effective or highly effective (designation).”
The Excellence in Performance for Teachers grant was established by the Indiana General Assembly during the 2011 legislative session in an effort to help school corporations recruit and retain effective educators. Selected applications featured performance and compensation systems that align to state laws requiring school corporations to differentiate teacher performance, provide meaningful feedback to help all teachers improve and financially reward their best teachers.
State officials said the grant recipients were selected through a rigorous, multi-phase review process.
Conner said Noblesville Schools had transitioned to a performance-based evaluation for teachers and administrators that uses an evaluation tool that is comprehensive, considers student performance and meets all requirements outlined in state law.
“It’s unparalleled in education,” she said.
This is the second consecutive year that Noblesville Schools has received funding through the grant. Last year’s grant was $649,233.