$4.1 Million Grant Awarded
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rural Tidewater Education Consortium Awarded $4.1 Million Federal Grant to Grow Teachers and School Leaders From Within Its Own Communities
U.S. Department of Education Teacher Quality Partnership grant launches the Tidewater Educator Workforce and Leadership Initiative (TEWLI) across Surry County, Sussex County, Isle of Wight County, and Franklin City Schools.
SURRY, Va., October 12, 2026. The Rural Tidewater Education Consortium (TEC) has been awarded a Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) grant from the U.S. Department of Education to launch the Tidewater Educator Workforce and Leadership Initiative (TEWLI). The grant provides $818,667 in its first year, with a projected total of approximately $4.1 million from October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2031. Surry County Public Schools serves as lead partner and fiscal agent on behalf of the consortium.
TEWLI is built on a simple premise: the most effective teachers and leaders for the children of Southeastern Virginia are already living within these communities. What has been missing is not the people, but a viable pathway.
Who TEWLI serves
The four TEC divisions combined serve rural and high needs students, serving more than 8,500 students in communities that face persistent teacher shortages, teacher turnover, and a limited local pipeline into school leadership. The TEWLI project provides three pathways, for school improvement:
Pathway 1: “Tidewater Accelerated Licensure Pathway (TALP)” is an earn and learn route to full Virginia licensure in Elementary Education PreK through 6 and Special Education General Curriculum K through 12. Participants are hired as teachers and supported by trained mentor teachers, university faculty coaching, and two years of induction. A degree completion feeder helps paraprofessionals and local students finish a bachelor's degree and enter the pathway.
Pathway 2: “Ascend, the Leadership Academy” is an administrator certification program to prepare and certify teachers who aspire to become school principals and central office leaders.
Pathway 3: “Advance, Leadership Academy” is an executive leadership certificate for sitting leaders focused on the science of reading leadership, responsible technology leadership, and learning centered school improvement.
TEWLI Grant Completers commit to three years of service in a high need TEC school, keeping talent in the communities.
Partners
TEWLI unites the four school divisions with Norfolk State University, Virginia State University, Old Dominion University, and Paul D. Camp Community College.
What leaders are saying
TEWLI lead, Dr. Herbert Monroe, Fiscal Agent & Superintendent, Surry County Public Schools, “Our students deserve teachers who know them, their families, and our rural communities. TEWLI lets us recruit teachers and grow leaders from right here at home and give them the preparation and support to stay."
"This award is a recognition that our rural communities can build their own educator workforce when we have the right partners and locally driven partners," said Dr. Pamela R. Shetley, President of Shetley Enterprises LLC and Founder of the Tidewater Education Consortium. "What’s more, TEWLI turns paraprofessionals, career changers, and local graduates into licensed teachers, and teachers into leaders, without asking them to leave the communities they love."
“For rural school divisions like those in our partnership, the hardest part of promoting lasting improvement has never been finding people who care deeply about their children and communities. It has been creating accessible and realistic pathways from the classroom into leadership,” said Dr. Steve Myran, Professor, Educational Foundations and Leadership / Educational Leadership & Workforce Development, Old Dominion University. “TEWLI creates these pathways for paraprofessionals, graduates, and teachers, providing the coaching and university support needed to succeed while strengthening their opportunities to build meaningful careers right here at home.”
Press Conference
Division superintendents, university partners, and community leaders will formally announce the award at a press conference.
Date: October 28, 2026
Time: 9:00am – 11:00am
Location: Paul D. Camp Community College Workforce Trades and Innovation Center
612 Carolina Road, Suffolk VA 23434
Members of the media and the public are encouraged to attend.
About the Rural Tidewater Education Consortium
The Rural Tidewater Education Consortium is a partnership of Franklin City Public Schools, Isle of Wight County Schools, Surry County Public Schools, and Sussex County Public Schools. The consortium works together to expand opportunity for rural students in Southeastern Virginia by strengthening the educator workforce and securing resources no single division could secure alone.
Media contact
Dr. Pamela R. Shetley, President, Shetley Enterprises LLC
1832 Kempsville Road, Suite 112
Virginia Beach VA 23464
(202) 322-6166
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For Immediate Release - Math Innovation Grant Award
February 2026
FRANKLIN, VA – Franklin City Public Schools (FCPS) is proud to announce it has been awarded $152,357 from the Virginia Department of Education's Mathematics Innovation Grant program. The 12-month grant will fund the Strengthening Understanding in Mathematics through Mentorship, Innovation, and Teaching (SUMMIT) program, a comprehensive mathematics intervention model designed to transform instruction and accelerate achievement for students in grades 3-10.
The SUMMIT program represents an exceptional regional collaboration between Franklin City Public Schools and a powerful consortium of educational and community partners, including the Tidewater Education Consortium, Paul D. Camp Community College, Norfolk State University, Shetley Enterprises LLC, The Danielson Group, and the Lambda Psi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Together, these partners will provide professional development, teacher coaching, college readiness pathways, program evaluation, and community-based tutoring and mentorship to ensure sustainable, measurable impact for students and educators across the region.
Five Bold Goals
The SUMMIT program commits to achieving measurable outcomes within one year:
Goal 1: Strengthen Mathematics Teaching and Learning through Innovation and Inquiry.
Goal 2: Build Teacher Capacity through Professional Learning and Instructional Leadership .
Goal 3: Expand Access to High-Quality Math Courses while also Providing Assistance with Dual Enrollment Math Pre-Requisite Courses
Goal 4: Integrate Workforce Readiness and STEM Pathways into Mathematics Learning and Parent Workshops..
Goal 5: Strengthen Cross-Division
About Franklin City Public Schools
Franklin City Public Schools serves approximately 1,015 students in grades PreK-12 in southeastern Virginia. The division is committed to providing quality education, fostering student success, and preparing all students for college, career, and civic life in an inclusive and supportive learning environment.
For more information about the SUMMIT Mathematics Program, contact Superintendent, Dr. Carlton Carter at (757) 569-8111 or ccarter2@fcpsva.org.
