FLORIDA’S BEST AND BRIGHTEST AWARDS

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

2019-2020

Florida’s Best and Brightest Awards serve to recruit, retain, and reward classroom teachers and
instructional employees who meet the needs of the state and have achieved success in the
classroom.

State statute regarding program:

https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2019/1012.731

Florida Department of Education memos regarding the program and law:

https://info.fldoe.org/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-8600/dps-2019-109a.pdf

https://info.fldoe.org/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-8615/DPS-2019-118-a.pdf

The following pages outline the three Best and Brightest awards and the criteria for each award.

NOTE: To be eligible for the Recruitment Award, a teacher must submit an eligibility application
(directions noted on page 4).

RECRUITMENT AWARD—Page 2
RETENTION AWARD—Page 5
RECOGNITION AWARD—Page 8
 2019-2020 Best & Brightest FAQs—HCPS

RECRUITMENT AWARD
Who is eligible?
To be eligible for a Recruitment Award an employee must meet all of the following criteria:
 Newly hired to HCPS
 K-12 Classroom Teacher with an FTE roster of students
 “Active” status
 A “content expert” as defined by the Florida Department of Education

What is the amount of the Recruitment Award?

For 2019-2020, the one-time recruitment award is up to $4,000. However, the award may be
prorated if there are insufficient funds to pay all eligible teachers.

When must an employee have been hired to be considered “newly hired”?

An employee must have an effective hire date of July 1, 2019 (the first day of the fiscal school
year) through and including August 30, 2019.

When must a teacher be employed to receive the Recruitment Award?

An employee must remain employed in an “Active” status for the 2019-2020 school year through
the distribution of the award payments in order to be eligible for an award. An employee who
goes on a leave of absence, resigns, or retires from the district prior to award payments will not
be eligible to receive the award.

Which teachers are eligible to receive the Recruitment Award?

Current HCPS K-12 Classroom Teachers with FTE student rosters in the 2019-2020 school year as
defined in s. 1012.01(2)(a) F.S.
Per the Florida Department of Education: Classroom teachers are staff members assigned the
professional activity of instructing students in courses in classroom situations, including basic
instruction, exceptional student education, career education, and adult education, including
substitute teachers.
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=1012.731&U
RL=1000-1099/1012/Sections/1012.01.html

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RECRUITMENT AWARD
 2019-2020 Best & Brightest FAQs—HCPS

Which instructional groups are ineligible for the Recruitment Award?

 Student Personnel Services, s. 1012.01(2)(b) F.S.: School Counselors, School Social
Workers, School Psychologists, Career Specialists, Program Advisors
 Media Specialists, s. 1012.01(2)(c) F.S.
 Instructional Specialists, s. 1012.01(2)(d) F.S.: Resource Teachers, Instructional Coaches,
ESE Specialists, Magnet Leads, Migrant Advocates
 Teachers of pre-kindergarten or post-secondary courses as the state defines eligibility as
kindergarten through twelfth grade.

How is “content expert” defined?

The FLDOE released ruling on the definition of content expert, which can be found at the
following link: http://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/18791/urlt/6AER19.PDF.

To be considered a content expert and be eligible for the Best and Brightest Recruitment award,
a teacher must meet one of the following criteria:
A. A Master’s degree in one of the following:
o Math o Social Studies
o Science o Social Science
o Computer Science o English Literature
o Political Science o Reading
o American History o Literacy Instruction
B. A Bachelor’s degree in one of the following AND five (5) or more years of teaching
experience in the subject area:
o Math o Social Studies
o Science o Social Science
o Computer Science o English Literature
o Political Science o Reading
o American History o Literacy Instruction
C. A Bachelor’s degree in one of the following AND five (5) or more years of work experience
in the subject area:
o Math o American History
o Science o Social Studies
o Computer Science o Social Science
o Political Science

Is an application required to receive the Recruitment Award?

Yes. To receive this award, newly hired, eligible teachers must submit an online application
(directions below) claiming eligibility and providing relevant eligibility information.

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RECRUITMENT AWARD
 2019-2020 Best & Brightest FAQs—HCPS

What is the deadline to apply for the Recruitment Award?

The application must be submitted by 4:30 PM on Friday, September 13, 2019.

What is the process for applying?

Teachers who meet all eligibility requirements listed above must submit the online application
found at the following link by 4:30 PM on September 13, 2019:
https://tinyurl.com/HCPSBBrecruitment
 This application is a Google Form; you are not required to have a Google/Gmail account
to complete the form.
 You should receive an automated copy of your responses as a confirmation from Google
at the email address you enter on the form.
 You will receive a confirmation email from GreatTeachers within one (1) week of your
application submission.

What deductions will be applied to the award amounts?

 Mandatory Employer Payroll Taxes (Social Security tax, Medicare tax)
 Employee Withholdings (Social Security tax, Medicare tax, Federal tax)

What is the timeline?

 July 1 – August 30: New teachers hired to HCPS
 September 13: Deadline to submit application claiming eligibility for Recruitment Award
 September 13 – October: HCPS verifies applications and eligibility of recipients
 To Be Determined: Recruitment Awards distributed

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RECRUITMENT AWARD
 2019-2020 Best & Brightest FAQs—HCPS

RETENTION AWARD
Who is eligible?
To be eligible for a Retention Award an employee must meet all of the following criteria:
 K-12 Classroom Teacher with an FTE roster of students
 “Active” status
 Rated E or HE in 2018-2019
 Have taught in a school for two (2) consecutive years, including the current year (2018-
2019 and 2019-2020), that has improved an average of three (3) percentage points or
more in the percentage of total possible points achieved for determining school grades
over the prior three (3) years.

What is the amount of the Retention Award?

For 2019-2020, the one-time retention award is up to $1,000 for effective (E) teachers and up to
$2,500 for highly effective (HE) teachers. However, the award may be prorated if there are
insufficient funds to pay all eligible teachers.

When must a teacher be employed to be eligible for the Retention Award?

An employee must remain employed in an “Active” status for the 2019-2020 school year through
the distribution of the award payments in order to be eligible for an award. An employee who
goes on a leave of absence, resigns, or retires from the district prior to award payments will not
be eligible to receive the award.

Which teachers are eligible to receive the Retention Award?

Current HCPS K-12 Classroom Teachers with FTE student rosters in the 2019-2020 school year as
defined in s. 1012.01(2)(a) F.S.
Per the Florida Department of Education: Classroom teachers are staff members assigned the
professional activity of instructing students in courses in classroom situations, including basic
instruction, exceptional student education, career education, and adult education, including
substitute teachers.
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=1012.731&U
RL=1000-1099/1012/Sections/1012.01.html

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RETENTION AWARD
 2019-2020 Best & Brightest FAQs—HCPS

Which instructional groups are ineligible for the Retention Award?

 Student Personnel Services, s. 1012.01(2)(b) F.S.: School Counselors, School Social
Workers, School Psychologists, Career Specialists, Program Advisors
 Media Specialists, s. 1012.01(2)(c) F.S.
 Instructional Specialists, s. 1012.01(2)(d) F.S.: Resource Teachers, Instructional Coaches,
ESE Specialists, Magnet Leads, Migrant Advocates
 Teachers of pre-kindergarten or post-secondary courses as the state defines eligibility as
kindergarten through twelfth grade.

For which year must a teacher have received a Final Evaluation rating of Effective
(up to $1,000 award) or Highly Effective (up to $2,500 award)?
2018-2019 School Year
NOTE: Per statute, qualifying evaluation level (E or HE) must be from the school year immediately
preceding the year in which the scholarship will be awarded.

What if I do not know my 2018-2019 Final Evaluation rating at this time?

You do not need to do anything. Once final evaluation scores are available, the district will pull
those scores to determine eligibility for the awards.

How is the average of the 3 percentage point increase calculated for the
Retention Award?
Because there are a number of ways to interpret this requirement, and to ensure the maximum
number of possible teachers are eligible for this award, the FLDOE has developed three separate
calculations to identify whether a school meets the average of 3 percentage points growth
requirement. Any school that is identified for inclusion under any one of the three methods will
be placed on the list. All percentages and averages are rounded to the nearest whole number.
The three methods under which a school qualifies for inclusion on the list are explained in the
memo released by the FLDOE linked on page 1.

The list of eligible schools was released on September 20, 2019, and can be accessed at
http://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/5306/urlt/bestandbrightest-rp.xls.

Is an application required to receive the Retention Award?

No. For the Best and Brightest Retention Award, no application is necessary. The district will
determine eligibility based on 2018-2019 evaluation scores and the list of qualifying schools from
the FLDOE.

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RETENTION AWARD
 2019-2020 Best & Brightest FAQs—HCPS

What deductions will be applied to the award amounts?

 Mandatory Employer Payroll Taxes (Social Security tax, Medicare tax)
 Employee Withholdings (Social Security tax, Medicare tax, Federal tax)

What is the timeline?

 October/November: HCPS verifies eligibility of recipients following release of final
evaluations
 To Be Determined: Retention Awards distributed

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RETENTION AWARD
 2019-2020 Best & Brightest FAQs—HCPS

RECOGNITION AWARD
Who is eligible?
To be eligible for a Recognition Award an employee must meet all of the following criteria:
 K-12 Instructional Employee
 Rated E or HE in 2018-2019

What is the amount of the Recognition Award?

For 2019-2020, the award amount will be determined based on the amount of funds remaining
in the allocation from the state after all other Best and Brightest Awards have been distributed
(Recruitment Awards, Retention Awards, and Principal Awards). The remaining funds will be
distributed to all Recognition Award recipients in the following manner:
 Highly Effective (HE) employees will receive a set amount, and
 Effective (E) employees will receive 2/3 of that amount.

Does an employee have to be nominated by his/her principal to receive the

Recognition Award?
HCPS recognizes that the principal’s involvement in the Written Evaluation of an employee is
comprehensive and addresses the statutory requirement of principal selection for eligibility. No
additional nomination is required by the principal in order for an employee to be eligible for the
Recognition Award; an employee’s evaluation status of Effective or Highly Effective constitutes
principal selection as the principal is the administrator responsible for the employee’s evaluation.

When must a teacher be employed to be eligible for the Recognition Award?

An employee must remain employed in an “Active” status for the 2019-2020 school year through
the distribution of the award payments in order to be eligible for an award. An employee who
goes on a leave of absence, resigns, or retires from the district prior to award payments will not
be eligible to receive the award.

Which employees are eligible to receive the Recognition Award?

The following K-12 employees assigned to a school site are eligible:
 Classroom Teachers as defined in s. 1012.01(2)(a) F.S.
 Student Personnel Services, s. 1012.01(2)(b) F.S.: School Counselors, School Social
Workers, School Psychologists, Career Specialists, Program Advisors
 Media Specialists, s. 1012.01(2)(c) F.S.
 Instructional Specialists, s. 1012.01(2)(d) F.S.: Resource Employees, Instructional
Coaches, ESE Specialists, Magnet Leads, Migrant Advocates
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RECOGNITION AWARD
 2019-2020 Best & Brightest FAQs—HCPS

Which instructional groups are ineligible for the Recognition Award?

Teachers of pre-kindergarten or post-secondary courses as the state defines eligibility as
kindergarten through twelfth grade.

For which year must an employee have received a Final Evaluation rating of
Effective or Highly Effective?
2018-2019 School Year
NOTE: Per statute, qualifying evaluation level (E or HE) must be from the school year immediately
preceding the year in which the scholarship will be awarded.

What if I do not know my 2018-2019 Final Evaluation rating at this time?

You do not need to do anything. Once final evaluation scores are available, the district will pull
those scores to determine eligibility for the awards.

Is an application required to receive the Recognition Award?

 Employees who were employed in and evaluated by HPCS in 2018-2019: No. For the
Best and Brightest Recognition Award, no application is necessary. The district will
determine eligibility based on 2018-2019 evaluation scores.
 New Employees who were evaluated in a district outside HCPS in 2018-2019: YES. You
must complete an online application and submit a copy of your evaluation in order to
document E or HE performance.
o Application Form: https://tinyurl.com/HCPSBBrecognition
NOTE: Only complete this application if you were not evaluated in HCPS last
school year.
o Provide HCPS with an official 2018-2019 evaluation (address below) by November
1, 2019. The evaluation must adhere to Florida statute requirements for
employee evaluations pursuant to s. 1012.34:
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=1012.
731&URL=1000-1099/1012/Sections/1012.34.html

Submit all documents to HCPS Performance Evaluation Department (Human

Resources) in person (recommended) or via:
School Mail: U.S. Mail:
Anna Veal HCPS Human Resources, C/O Anna Veal
Human Resources 2920 N. 40th Street
ISC, Route 7 Tampa, FL 33605

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RECOGNITION AWARD
 2019-2020 Best & Brightest FAQs—HCPS

What deductions will be applied to the award amounts?

 Mandatory Employer Payroll Taxes (Social Security tax, Medicare tax)
 Employee Withholdings (Social Security tax, Medicare tax, Federal tax)

What is the timeline?

 October/November: HCPS verifies eligibility of recipients following release of final
evaluations
 November 1, 2019: Application due for New Employees only
 To Be Determined: Retention Awards distributed

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RECOGNITION AWARD