Teeing Up for Teachers in Shortage Areas

School Administrator, March, 1995 by Ronald F. Stone

Like most school districts, Pinellas County has a critical short-age of special education and minority classroom teachers.

To address this concern, the school board adopted a priority objective in 1989 to create a scholarship program for students in the school system who would consider teaching as a career.

The program pledged $8,000 over four years to any Pinellas County senior who would commit to complete a college degree in education, satisfy the requirements for a Florida teaching certificate, and return to the district upon graduation. Repayment of the scholarship/loan was made through one year of successful teaching experience for each year the student received the scholarship. Each recipient was guaranteed a teaching position on completion of the program.

Initiating the concept of a critical teaching scholarship/loan program was easy. Funding the scholarships became the real challenge.

Novel Rules

The school board, as a legislative body, could not expend tax dollars to provide scholarships so the funding had to come from outside sources. The Florida State University College of Education Alumni Association's Pinellas County chapter, including educators employed by the school system, took up the challenge of funding several scholarships.

In fall 1989, a small planning committee of the alumni association decided to sponsor a golf tournament to raise scholarship dollars. The group realized that golf tournaments are held throughout the Tampa Bay area, so this one had to be different.

Instead of using the usual golf tournament format, the committee decided to offer a one-club tournament that would permit a golfer to use only one club for the entire event! The activity allowed people who did not play much golf to enjoy an outing that would focus on fellowship and raising money for the scholarship fund.

A Largo, Fla., golf course agreed to be the host site and provided reduced rates to the golfers. The restaurant affiliated with the golf course provided a buffet luncheon. Two local beverage distributors each provided 10 cases of drinks at no cost.

To provide the real foundation for the scholarship fund, local businesses and individuals interested in Florida State University or the scholarship program sponsored holes on the golf course for $100 per hole. In return, their names were prominently displayed during the tournament.

The first tournament in May 1990 attracted more than 90 golfers. Through the sale of sponsorships and door-prize drawing tickets sold during the tournament, it raised about $5,000 for the scholarship fund. To support the activity, the dean of the college of education and members of the university development office came to Pinellas County to work with the planning committee and staff the tournament.

When the tournament was held again in 1991, the scholarship fund grew so much that three students were selected; they began their programs at the university the following fall.

First Products

Last May, the Fifth Annual Noles Holes Scholarship Golf Tournament was held once again at the same course. This time, the superintendent, three school board members, and the dean of the college of education played in the tournament and helped raise scholarship dollars.

So far, the program has produced two certificated minority teachers for Pinellas County. A third completed her internship last fall and a fourth began in December.

Over the past four years, this program has provided more than $25,000 in scholarships to Pinellas County graduates who are or soon will be classroom teachers in critical shortage areas. The Florida Lottery joined the program last year as a cosponsor and provided promotional financial support.

This event has proven that the business community, school boards, local educators, and alumni of universities can create a powerful partnership to begin to reverse the teacher shortage and provide needed financial resources to young people interested in education as a career. The most important aspect of this approach is that people get together socially for a fun day of golf (that word is used with tongue in cheek because many participants never played golf previously) and generate thousands of dollars for an important activity.

The true winners in a tournament such as ours will be the students who are encouraged to return home to join our teachers as role models and mentors for future generations of teachers. Our motto in this program to address critical teacher shortages has become "Don't get teed off--get teed up!"