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| Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #2517 |
| Call Me Mister Program in Florida |
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| Requester: |
Michael V. Bowie |
Organization: |
Florida Fund for Minority Teachers, Inc. (FFMT) |
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| Project Title: |
Call Me Mister Program in Florida |
Date Submitted |
1/4/2008 1:42:54 PM |
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| Sponsors: |
Hill |
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| Statewide Interest: |
| This program will address teacher recruitment for the state of Florida. More specifically, it will increase the number of Black and Hispanic male teachers in Florida. This will further allow the FFMT to meet its mission of increasing the number of minority teachers in Florida to better reflect Florida�s diverse populations. |
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| Recipient: |
Florida Fund for Minority Teachers, Inc. |
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Contact: |
Dr. Michael V. Bowie |
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P.O. Box 117045 |
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Contact Phone: |
(352) 392-9196 |
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Gainesville 32611-7045 |
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Contact email: |
mbowie@ufl.edu |
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| Counties: |
{Statewide} |
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| Gov't Entity: |
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Private Organization (Profit/Not for Profit): |
Yes |
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| Project Description: |
| Call Me MISTER (acronym for Mentors Instructing Students Toward Effective Role Models) in Florida is an initiative is to increase the pool of available male teachers from a broader more diverse background particularly among the State�s lowest performing elementary schools. Students receiving funds will be required to teach in a Florida public school for each year that they receive the scholarship. Student participants are largely selected from among under-served, socio-economically disadvantaged and educationally at-risk communities. Students will become �MISTERs� at community colleges and 4-year institutions, where they will reach into the local communities and work as mentors to middle and high school males. MISTERs will be mentored by program and teaching faculty and staff and will meet regularly to discuss their academic plans as well as be provided with pre-professional development. The link between the young men participating in Call Me MISTER with academically and economically disadvantaged youth will make available teaching and mentoring opportunities. In order to prevent duplication of funds, MISTERs, upon entering the state-approved teacher education program (during their junior year) will be eligible for the Minority Teacher Education Scholarship ($4,000 per year) and will receive an incentive award of $2,000 per year. After employment for one year at a Florida public school, MISTERs will receive an incentive award of $2,000 for their first year of teaching. |
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| Is this a project related to a federal or state declared disaster? |
No |
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| Measurable Outcome Anticipated: |
| Fully funding this project will permit the FFMT to identify and train through Florida�s teacher education programs male teachers in preparation for elementary and middle school classrooms. These students, called MISTERS, will also mentor minority youth, which will also have an impact on decreasing juvenile delinquency numbers in the communities surrounding the institutions (community colleges and four-year institutions). MISTERs will also serve as tutors for the College Reach-Out Program, which is an included responsibility in their freshman and sophomore years. Fully funding the project will also allow the Department of Education to retain more teachers since a condition of the scholarship is that the student must remain a teacher in Florida public schools for the same amount of time that they receive the scholarship, which is a minimum four year commitment. Florida public schools and their surrounding communities will receive not just minority male teachers, but role models and mentors for the community. After a five-year period, 50 minority male teachers will be teaching in Florida public schools and 200 pre-professional male teachers will be preparing for the teaching profession. |
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| Amount requested from the State for this project this year: |
$445,000 |
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| Total cost of the project: |
$445,000 |
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| Request has been made to fund: |
Operations |
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| What type of match exists for this project? |
None |
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Cash Amount |
$ |
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| Was this project previously funded by the state? |
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No |
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| Is future-year funding likely to be requested? |
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Yes |
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Amount: |
$732,100 |
To Fund: |
Operations |
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| Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request? |
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No |
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| Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget? |
No |
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| Is there a documented need for this project? |
Yes |
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Documentation: |
As mandated by Chapter 1009.605(2) F.S. to increase the number of minority teachers. |
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| Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)? |
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Yes |
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Hearing Body: |
Putnam County Legislative Delegation |
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| Is this a water project as described in Section 403.885, Laws of Florida? |
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No |
