More than $600,000 raised to train Muscogee teachers to help students in new way
Teachers in Columbus public schools serving children from high-poverty environments will be trained in a new way to help their students.
The Muscogee Educational Excellence Foundation, in partnership with the Muscogee County School District, announced the launch of the Buntin Schools of Excellence initiative during a news conference Thursday at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, the first school participating in this program.
Named in honor of Jim Buntin, a former MCSD superintendent and one of MEEF’s founders, the BSOE is a professional learning program designed to strengthen teaching and school leadership. The initiative addresses opportunity gaps by providing teachers with methods based on neuroscience and trauma-informed practices. It also focuses on school culture and morale, which are considered key factors in long-term school transformation.
“We believe the most powerful way to improve student outcomes is to invest directly in the educators who work with children every day,” MCSD superintendent David Lewis said in MEEF’s news release. “The Buntin Schools of Excellence initiative reflects a deep commitment to strengthening instruction, supporting teachers and building school cultures, where students can thrive. We are proud to begin this work at MLK Jr. Elementary and grateful to the generous donors who are making this long-term investment possible.”
Donations to the program have totaled approximately $606,000, MEEF executive director Marquette McKnight told the Ledger-Enquirer.
Buntin told the Ledger-Enquirer he is “extremely excited” the BSOE is named in his honor.
“But I’m more excited about the program,” he said. “We tried to do an awful lot for disadvantaged children when I was superintendent (1994-96), but we never really had a program that I thought was very successful. This program is going to get the job done.
“… If you don’t get them by the third grade, unfortunately, their lives are not going to be what they could be in the process of getting that done. I’m just thankful to still be here to be able to enjoy it.”
Buntin, who cofounded MEEF, is known for often saying, “Teachers don’t just teach. They change the trajectory of lives. When you invest in them, you invest in generations of children and families.” And that philosophy is at the heart of this program.
Who is leading the BSOE?
Tammy Pawloski, director of the Center of Excellence for Teachers of Children of Poverty at Francis Marion University in Florence, South Carolina, is leading the BSOE.
“After an extensive, nearly year-long search, MEEF identified Dr. Pawloski as one of the few experts in the nation with both the depth of research knowledge and the proven experience to lead this work,” the news release says.
For more than 15 years, Pawloski has studied the effects of poverty on learning and cognition, translating brain-based research into practical, high-impact instructional strategies, according to MEEF.
“She has led more than 1,000 professional learning experiences for teachers and school leaders nationwide, with a track record of measurable results in high-poverty schools,” the news release says. “What distinguishes her work is the seamless integration of rigorous research, real-world classroom practice, and compelling insights from the field that empower and challenge educators.”
Pawlowski noted that trauma can significantly hinder learning.
“By combining the science of learning, trauma-informed practices and high-impact instruction, we strengthen teaching, elevate school culture and create conditions where both educators and students can succeed,” she said in the news release.
How will the Buntin Schools of Excellence work?
Throughout the year, faculty at MLK Elementary will participate in embedded coaching, collaborative planning, data-informed reflection and professional learning tailored to the school’s needs.
With five years of funding secured through donor support, more MCSD schools are expected to join the BSOE.
“This work is happening alongside other district initiatives and supports already in place,” Lewis said. “We all understand that meaningful improvement does not happen overnight. We are committed for the long haul — using research, data, and proven strategies to bring the right resources to the students and schools that need them most.”
With enough funding to implement this program at five schools, Lewis told the Ledger-Enquirer MCSD plans to add four more schools, perhaps one each in each of the next four years.
Lewis declined to disclose which schools would be added before he finalizes those choices with the principals, but he said the decision will be based on data that shows where the greatest needs must be addressed.
The BSOE training is conducted for the faculty once per month for about 90 minutes after school. During the training, teachers learn different approaches to handling children dealing with difficult situations.
“Sometimes you have to start the day by just getting them ready to settle down because of whatever traumatic things they may have experienced at home,” Lewis said. “… How do you work with those children when they’re in different processes of learning?”
Pawloski gave the Ledger-Enquirer a few examples. BSOE teachers are trained to develop positive relationships with their students, such as helping those children feel they matter by greeting them at the classroom door.
Building self-esteem in students can help improve their attendance, behavior and achievement, Pawloski said.
Another kind of different approach would be how a teacher reacts to a student who cusses in the classroom.
“The natural human response of a teacher is write them up and be disciplined,” she said. “That’s judge and punish. But if I understand why they’re using that language … and I get down on their eye level, I could say, ‘Sometimes I feel just that angry, right? But when I’m at school, I don’t (use that language).
“… That may be a word that they hear pretty frequently in their homes. … It’s OK to be angry. It’s OK to be frustrated. So this work is not about how to teach math and reading. It is teaching humans how to teach humans to find their own strengths and to be successful and to remove those barriers.”
Impact of BSOE program
MLK Elementary principal Felicia Thompson praised the BSOE program, which started in her school in September.
“This has been a wonderful opportunity for the faculty and staff and students of MLK, and as a faculty, we are excited to continue this work and to see the benefits of deepening our understanding of poverty and its effects on the brain,” Thompson told the audience during the news conference. “The information that Dr. Pawloski has shared shows that the brain can be rebuilt and reshaped by intentionally altering students experiences and environment.
“We’ve learned that teachers, words and actions, have the power to stimulate and grow new neural pathways. We are already seeing meaningful results, and we are excited for what’s ahead. So, thank you to all you supporters for providing this opportunity for the faculty and staff at MLK.”
How to donate to Buntin Schools of Excellence
Contributions can be made by credit card on the foundation’s website at meefofcolumbus.org or by check, payable to the Muscogee Educational Excellence Foundation and with BSOE on the memo line. MEEF’s mailing address is 214 10th St., Suite A, Columbus, GA, 31901.
MEEF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering educational excellence by recognizing and rewarding innovative and exceptionally effective teachers in MCSD. The foundation has awarded more than $3.3 million to such educators during the past 30 years through financial incentives, including the Teacher of the Year program, the Harvard Fellows training and a variety of grants.
This story was originally published January 22, 2026 at 10:30 AM.
