Georgia plans to provide Bonus to Every Public School Teacher and Staff Member

On January 14, 2021, Governor Brian Kemp and State School Superintendent Richard Woods announced they plan to provide a one-time, $1,000 bonus payment to every K-12 public-school teacher and school-level staff member in the state.  The bonus payments are intended for all school-level staff in Georgia’s K-12 public schools, including teachers, paraprofessionals, school counselors, school psychologists, school nurses, custodians, bus drivers, school nutrition staff, media specialists, clerical staff and administrative assistants, school principals, assistant principals, instructional coaches, therapists, etc. The funds will be allocated to school districts and must be spent on the bonus payments.  Superintendent Woods will officially recommend the allocation for approval at the State Board of Education’s February 18, 2021 meeting.  The payments will be provided through two sources; approximately $60 million from the Governor’s Office and approximately $180 million from the  Georgia Department of Education’s reserve portion of CARES 2 stimulus funds.