The Hillsborough school district, which was the first Florida district to adopt the state's (now defunct) STAR performance pay plan, today became one of four in Florida to tap into a national program designed to reward effective teachers and principals. The USDOE announced that Hillsborough will get $3.1-million next year, and about $15.4-million over five years, through President Bush's Teacher Incentive Fund. The money will go to the district's Performance Optimized With Effective Rewards program, serving 116 high-needs schools. Lake, Orange and Miami-Dade counties also got awards, along with 14 others outside Florida. For more information, see the DOE press release.