The Gwinnett County school board approved spending $5 million on bonuses for staff members — including administrators, bus drivers, counselors and principals — to go along with the $20.3 million the state provided the district for teacher and support staff retention bonuses.
That means along with teachers, all benefit-eligible staff and new and other employees hired prior to Jan. 8 in Georgia’s largest school district will receive a $1,000 bonus.
The school board approved the bonuses at its meeting Thursday. Employees will receive the money in their Jan. 31 paychecks.
In total, about 196,000 Georgia educators and support staff are receiving bonuses from the state. The money to provide the bonuses, about $202 million, is coming from state surplus funds.
Other large school districts in metro Atlanta have provided similar bonuses to their employees.
Board members credited Superintendent Calvin Watts with proposing those additional funds while praising employees for their efforts.
“We do appreciate you all. Our staff, our teachers, you’re so very valuable to our system, and this is just a small way we can say, ‘thank you,’” board member Tarece Johnson-Morgan said.
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