Programs that give Lake County Schools students greater exposure to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) careers are getting a boost from a matching grant program.
The Consortium of Florida Education Foundations (Consortium) recently awarded The Education Foundation of Lake County $91,124 in matching funds through the School District Education Foundation Matching Grant Program.
The High School High Tech (HSHT) program at East Ridge High School is one of the beneficiaries of the matching grant. HSHT is designed to motivate students will all types of disabilities to graduate from high school and pursue interests in STEM-related careers such as coding or engineering.
Other Lake County Schools programs that will benefit from the funding boost include the Back-to-School Fair which gives low-performing students essential supplies to help them succeed in the classroom.
A new International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Tavares High School also will receive a portion of the funding. The IB program offers enrolled students the opportunity to earn up to thirty college credits.
“These grants allow Lake County Schools educators greater flexibility in incorporating innovative learning tools to meet their students’ needs,” said Diane Kornegay, Lake County Schools Superintendent. “We applaud the Education Foundation of Lake County for consistently securing resources to help our teachers and students while supporting our mission to provide relevant learning opportunities for all of our students.”
“We are fortunate and appreciative of the many donors in our community and through partner organizations that have helped toward this effort,” said Carman Cullen, Executive Director of the Education Foundation of Lake County. “We are especially grateful for the efforts of the Lake County legislative delegation which has been our voice in helping to ensure our district receives its share of the funding from the state legislature.”
The Consortium has received legislative matching funds which provide a dollar-for-dollar incentive for local education foundations to raise private contributions for eligible projects more than 20 years. Since the inception of the program, more than $127 million in combined private and state dollars has been provided for local projects that serve students, literacy initiatives, encourage STEM and career/technical education, increase classroom innovation, support teachers, and/or increase graduation rates.
About the Consortium of Education Foundations
The Consortium is the membership organization for Florida’s school district-wide local education foundations. Established in 1987, the Consortium connects individuals, organizations, and financial resources to build the capacity and effectiveness of local education foundations throughout the state in achieving student success. The Consortium now has 66 member foundations with 1,100 business and community leaders serving as volunteer board members. Collectively, the local education foundations raise $82 million annually to support students, teachers and schools through a variety of programs. The Consortium has facilitated more than $62 million to local education foundations since 2002 through various private- and public-sector partnerships, including the State of Florida School District Education Foundation Matching Grant Program. To learn more about the Consortium and the statewide impact of the program, visit www.educationfoundationsfl.org.
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About the Education Foundation of Lake County
Established in 1987, Education Foundation of Lake County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and designated direct support organization for Lake County Schools. Our mission is to serve as the connection between our community and public education, evaluating needs and securing resources to enhance the quality of education. The Education Foundation of Lake County operates for the benefit of students and teachers in Lake County Public Schools. The Education Foundation of Lake County is ranked among the Top 50 Education Foundations in the United States by the Caruthers Institute. For more info, please visit EdFoundationLake.com.
