Cameron Foundation to help PCPS reward full SOL accreditation

The Cameron Foundation will grant each Petersburg City public school a cash award at the end of the 2008-2009 school year, to be used for whatever the school needs: technology, textbooks or programs. A committee of department representatives at each school will decide the best use for the funds. There is one catch. The […]

March 9, 2009; 11:21 AM • by brenda p

The Cameron Foundation will grant each Petersburg City public school a cash award at the end of the 2008-2009 school year, to be used for whatever the school needs: technology, textbooks or programs. A committee of department representatives at each school will decide the best use for the funds. There is one catch. The Foundation is giving this money only to those Petersburg City public schools which achieve or maintain full SOL accreditation this year.

That is exactly what Dr. James M. Victory, Petersburg Superintendent of Schools, had in mind when he asked PCPS grant writer Gail Wade to write a proposal to the Foundation for this incentive.

At the School Board meeting March 4, Cameron Foundation representative Risha Stibbens publicly announced that the Foundation would make the grants, which could total up to $80,000.

“At the Cameron Foundation, we appreciate the urgency of the Petersburg City Public Schools reaching SOL accreditation and we will be a steady partner,” Stibbens said.

“All of our schools need to reach full accreditation. We have been discussing what else we can do to ensure that we reach that goal,” Dr. Victory said.

“The plan is for all schools to become fully accredited by the end of this school year and when they do, there will be a substantial amount of cash given to each school,” he said.

“We are not making promises about next year. We are making promises about this year. We want everyone to understand their role in helping all teachers and students to achieve full SOL accreditation,” he said.

In addition, when the schools meet that goal, they will likely also make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), as required by the No Child Left Behind Act, he said.

The Cameron Foundation is an outstanding friend and partner to the PCPS, a partnership that will continue to develop, Victory said.

“We want to sincerely thank the Cameron Foundation for all of their efforts to support us on our journey of becoming a World Class school division,” he said.

March 9, 2009 11:21 AM 0