School funding always will be a concern to school leaders, but it is an issue that districts have little control over. Teacher evaluation too often is a matter of compliance in school districts, and the author has always wanted to do something about it. Because of recent legislative changes to teacher evaluation in Michigan, where the author led a school district, she thought this could be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to create a process truly focused on teacher effectiveness and professional growth for the 99 classroom teachers. But first, the administrators and teachers working together as a faculty have to confront and overcome three challenges that typically plague districtwide teacher evaluation initiatives: Challenge No. 1: To be effective, a teacher evaluation model cannot be overly complex; Challenge No. 2: To be effective, a teacher evaluation model must be meaningful; and Challenge No. 3: To be effective, a teacher evaluation model must clearly spell out roles and responsibilities.