PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Public Schools board is expected to accept a $40 million grant from Microsoft founder Bill Gates' foundation to improve the way teachers are hired and evaluated.

The school board scheduled a special meeting this evening at which they will vote on the grant, the largest ever made directly to the district. The money will be combined with funds yet to be raised from public and private sources to develop the $85 million program.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is funding similar initiatives involving charter schools in Los Angeles and school districts in Hillsborough County, Fla., and Memphis, Tenn.

The money comes from a $500 million pool the Gates Foundation established for teacher effectiveness efforts nationwide.

By The Associated Press