COLUMBIA FUND FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

							                     Columbia Fund for Academic Excellence
                                   2011-12

During the 1979-80 school year, a fund to reward excellence in teaching was established with an initial gift
from Mr. and Mrs. Ray Lewis. Other individuals, community organizations, and businesses have contributed
to the fund since that time. The fund was established for the purpose of making cash awards each year to
educators in the Columbia Public School District who are selected as exemplary in certain categories. The
principal of the fund is maintained and only the interest is used for the annual awards.

Awards to be Presented, 2011-12 School Year
    Outstanding Elementary Educator of the Year , Grades Pre-K-2
    Outstanding Elementary Educator of the Year , Grades 3-5
    Outstanding Middle/Junior High Educator of the Year
    Outstanding Senior High Educator of the Year
    Outstanding Educator in a Specialized Area
    Outstanding First Year (Beginning) Teacher
    Outstanding Administrator of the Year

Amount of Awards
Each award will be in the amount of $1,200.

Criteria for Selection
Awards will be made to those teachers and other certificated personnel who, by their performance and
dedication, have demonstrated the highest commitment to their duties, giving particular weight to the
contribution made by the teacher to the total development of his or her students.

Nomination and Selection Procedure
    Nominations shall be made to the Selection Committee. The Selection Committee shall receive all
     nominations, gather pertinent data about the candidates, conduct any necessary interviews, and
     recommend two persons in each category to the superintendent. The superintendent shall make the
     final selections.
    Forms to be used for nominations shall be available at the principal's office of each school and at the
     District Administration Building, 1818 West Worley.
    The Selection Committee shall consist of the Deputy Superintendent, the Chief Academic Officer, the
     Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education, the Assistant Superintendent for Elementary
     Education, and the Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources.
    Nominations for the categories listed above shall be made to the Selection Committee by the building
     principals. Anyone may recommend candidates to the building principals. In the first four categories,
     each principal may nominate one candidate for each 25 staff members, or major fraction thereof,
     assigned to his or her building on a full-time basis. At least one candidate may be nominated by each
     principal. A principal shall make nominations only in those categories appropriate for his or her school
     (i.e., an elementary principal may not nominate a candidate for the junior high award).
    Teaching fellows are not eligible for this award.
    In the categories “Outstanding Educator in a Specialized Area” and “Outstanding First Year (Beginning)
     Teacher,” each principal may nominate one candidate for each of the specified awards.
    Any person holding a position as director of a district-wide program may nominate one person in each of
     the first six categories, if the director has an assigned responsibility in that area of the educational
     program.
    In addition to the above procedures, any person not employed by, or enrolled in, the Columbia School
     District may make nominations directly to the Selection Committee.
    Members of the Selection Committee shall be responsible for the nomination and selection of the
     Outstanding Administrator of the Year. Nominations in this category will not be accepted. The
     appropriate assistant superintendent may be contacted to convey support for a particular administrator.
    If a relative of a Selection Committee member is nominated for an award, the committee member will not
     participate in the selection for that award. Selection Committee members shall not be eligible for an
     award.
    Persons making nominations to the Selection Committee may establish their own procedures for
     receiving recommendations.

The awards will be presented at a banquet to be held on Thursday, April 12, 2012, at Peachtree
Catering and Banquet Center.

To be eligible for consideration, all nominations must be received by the Selection
Committee no later than 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 29, 2012. Nominations and
materials received after this deadline will not be presented to the committee for
consideration.