Picture a college basketball team that receives word that it has earned its way into the NCAA Tournament. See the joy, fill the roar.

That about sums up the mood of a team of Memphis City Schools administrators, school board members, union representatives and a host of community supporters who got together Wednesday to talk about a call that came in Tuesday.

The call was from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. And the message was that MCS had made the cut in a bid to get in on a $500 million effort to improve the quality of teaching in the U.S.

During a press conference, Supt. Kriner Cash seemed to be one big smile as he provided deals. MCS, he said, is one of five districts tapped to move on to the next phase of competition.

The brass ring in this case would be about $100 million available over a 7-year period in a project to study teacher effectiveness, find ways to improve upon it and be a model that others could learn from.

“We know that teachers are the most important persons in the lives of children when they are under the care and guidance of schools,” said Cash.

A team effort is responsible for Memphis getting this far, said Cash, noting the school board, a good relationship with union membership, the executive advisory team and community partners representing various groups and levels of government.

With the Gates Foundation putting over a half billion dollars behind the move to improve teacher effectiveness, Cash said, “There is no single more important reform in this country.

“Memphis City Schools is poised to be a leader, but everyone in the community must get behind (this). This is not just a school initiative. It is a City of Memphis achievement.”

School board president Martavius D. Jones echoed that point.

“We are thankful for the efforts of everybody involved. This is a Memphis initiative,” said Jones, adding that the news was part of a day that also included the City Council’s approval of the City Schools $875 million budget.

Cash said the MCS proposal is about a $150 million application, with $96 million sought from the Gates Foundation, about $20 million from the business community and about $35-40 million in in-kind contributions from the district.

If MCS gets the nod, it would need to be in a position to show the effectiveness of the program at the end of the 7-year-period in order to attract the ongoing funding support that would be needed to keep moving forward, Cash said.

The objective, said Cash, is to lay a new foundation so more children can achieve at high levels.

“Children have always achieved (in MCS.) We need more and we need higher levels of performance by all employees.”

Fiscal responsibility also is key, he said. “That body of money cannot be mingled with other dollars and funds.”

The achievement gap is real in America, said Cash, adding that top performers must not be adversely affected in the move to narrow the divide.

A picture of success would reflect a “great teacher in front of every child,” he said.