Posted by
Tanya Arja or Jennifer Holton
on
9/14/2023 4:15:00 PM
Contact: Tanya Arja or Jennifer Holton
Hillsborough County Public Schools
Office of Communications
813-272-4060
Tampa, Fla. – (September 14, 2023) – Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) has been awarded a Congressionally Funded Community Arts Education Project grant for $1,986,353 to incorporate arts education and better prepare students for life, which aligns with the approved appropriation act language. This grant project will be funded in whole by federal funds which will ensure the expansion and improvement of comprehensive arts education programs for economically disadvantaged students.
HCPS proposes to impact approximately 39,000 students as it expands and improves its comprehensive arts education programs for economically disadvantaged students attending Transformation Network schools by contracting with the Straz Center for the Performing Arts (Straz) and the Tampa Museum of Art (TMA).
“This grant will not only strengthen the role art plays in our student’s lives, but also it will create high-quality arts projects for our children and youth, with a special emphasis on serving children from low-income families,” said Interim-Superintendent Van Ayres.
The district anticipates that the project will result in improved student critical thinking skills for the approximately 15,000 K-8 students visiting the TMA, and improved understanding of show-specific educational standards for the approximately 24,000 K-8 students visiting the Straz. Project success will be gauged by an increase in the number of arts educational experiences (including first-time experiences) for students enrolled at the Transformation Network schools. Stevonia Allen, HCPS Executive Director of Transformation Network, will lead the implementation of the project.