Tampa Philanthropist Donates $100K to Two Central Tampa Schools

A Tampa philanthropist known for his advocacy for private school options and other school choices for low-income children, has donated $100,000 to Hillsborough County Public Schools for the new single-gender preparatory academies scheduled to open next fall, according to a news release.

The $100,000 gift from John Kirtley, chairman of Florida’s Step Up For Students scholarship program, will be matched by Step Up For Students through a grant paid for by the Walton Family Foundation, bringing the total donation to $200,000.

The gifts come as the district prepares to convert Franklin Middle Magnet School into a boys preparatory academy and Ferrell Middle Magnet School to a girls preparatory academy.

The efforts highlight the importance the school district places on meeting the individual needs of students, Kirtley said, adding that the Hillsborough County School Board and Superintendent MaryEllen Elia have been leaders in empowering parents to take advantage of high-quality choices in education.

“For more than 13 years, I have worked to empower low-income families to be able to choose the right school for their children — whether that school is public or private,” Kirtley said. “In the end, it's not important who delivers these choices, as long as they are high-quality, and as long as they are a good fit for the individual student. A middle school for girls may not be the right choice for all students, but for some it will be a game-changer in their academic and personal lives.”

Elia echoed Kirtley’s emphasis on empowering parents through school choices.

“In Hillsborough County, we believe all parents should have real choices about where their child attends school,’’ Elia said. “I applaud John for his gift and share his belief that a high quality education and school choice takes many forms.”

In 1998, Kirtley started his own foundation to fund private school scholarships for low-income children. In three months, his Children’s Scholarship Fund of Tampa Bay received 12,500 applications for 750 scholarships. In 2001, he helped to persuade the Florida Legislature to create the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, which allows companies to contribute to a scholarship funding organization such as Step Up For Students in exchange for a dollar-for-dollar tax credit. Today, Step Up For Students provides tuition assistance statewide to about 33,000 children who would qualify for a free or reduced-price lunch.

Kirtley joined the board of the Hillsborough Education Foundation in September 2009. Five months later, he committed $100,000 to the RCMA Wimauma Academy, a charter school in Hillsborough County serving the children of migrant and farm-working families. The Walton Family Foundation matched Kirtley’s gift then, too. Step Up is matching Kirtley’s gift to Franklin and Ferrell middle schools with a grant it received from the Walton Family Foundation to help identify and forge partnerships with public schools.

It’s not the first time the district has teamed with Kirtley. In August 2009, Step Up For Students joined with the school district and the Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association to enhance professional development opportunities for educators at schools that enroll children who receive the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship.