Certified teachers in White County will get a one-time $2,000 bonus next school year.
White County School Board affirmed its participation in the state’s Education Freedom Act. Board member Jayson McDonald said he would like to see all school employees get some type of bonus for the work they do.
“I know we’re in the thick of budget things,” McDonald said. “But is there some kind of bonus that we can include in that to include everybody from top to bottom? Cafeteria staff bus drivers, it doesn’t matter to anybody. Because they area all out there in the thick of things every day.”
Director Kurt Dronebarger said he agreed that everyone deserves a bonus of some sort, but he emphasized the state required this pool of money go to teachers only.
“It’s going to cost the local school system a lot of money, maybe in the hundreds of thousands of dollars to give a bonus of some sort to everybody that is not included in this,” Dronebarger said. “Then there’s the consideration of setting a precedent, that every time the the state gives a bonus to someone that the county is going to match that. Those were the concerns.”
Dronebarger said pay raises are in the budget for all employees starting this fall. Still, board member John Smith asked Dronebarger to put together a bonus plan for other workers for the board to review.
“In that production of data, if you could look at from different threshholds, if it were to be a $500 bonus, $1000 bonus, $1500 bonus for all staff,” Smith said. “Because I think all staff, teachers included provide value to the student’s experience, education experience.”
