INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — The Consortium of Florida Education Foundations (CFEF) recently awarded the Education Foundation of Indian River County $35,000 in matching funds through the School District Education Foundation Matching Grant Program.
The Education Foundation of Indian River County (EF-IRC), in partnership with the School District of Indian River County (SDRIC), will advance student achievement for students enrolled in the Voluntary Pre-K programs of the school district, as well as, children enrolled in our primary and secondary schools.
Projects will be targeted to achieve this by: reducing the summer slide for 150 4-year-olds, reducing the dropout rate for 800 high school students who struggle to pass Algebra 1, piloting innovative STEM and career academy projects at two high schools, and support literacy initiatives contribute to the community, “Moonshot Moment, goal to insure 90 percent of 3rd graders are reading on grade level by 2018.
The E-IRC, the Superintendent and SDIRC Leadership Team prioritized these project needs. District-wide, school and classroom grants will bring transformational change to more than 7,000 children in our district during the 2015-2016 school year. Local business and philanthropic leaders have committed over $297,669.68 in matching funds to support these projects.
Dr. Mark Rendell, Superintendent of Indian River Schools commented, “We are so fortunate to be a part of a community that strongly supports our teachers and students. The programs that we can implement with these funds will target specific areas of need, such as providing quality Pre-K instruction. This proactive approach, to ensure that students begin their journey in Kindergarten with the skills and knowledge they need to be successful, will make all the difference for them. The other programs, such as improving Algebra instruction and funding innovative projects will also pay big dividends for our students.”
Through the collaborative effort of its members, the CFEF successfully advocated for the creation of legislative matching funds in 2000 which has provided a dollar-for-dollar incentive for local education foundations to raise private contributions for eligible projects.
“I’ve see the impact of the Matching Grant program first hand in Brevard County where I live, and I’m happy to support this program statewide to benefit other local education foundations and the students they serve,” said Speaker of the House Steve Crisafulli. “Florida is a national leader with this match incentive, encouraging business and citizen efforts to work with local school leaders to develop innovative programs that are responsive to local student achievement needs.”
The CFEF is the membership organization for the Florida’s school district-wide local education foundations. Collectively, they raise more than $45 million annually to support students, teachers and schools.
To learn more about the CFEF visit: www.educationfoundationsfl.org.
To learn more about the Education Foundation of Indian River County visit: www.edfoundationirc.org.
