Gwinnett County Schools expand which staff gets school retention bonuses

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Gwinnett County Schools became the latest metro school district to expand bonuses for staff after Governor Kemp announced $1,000 bonuses for teachers in December.

On Thursday, the school board unanimously passed a proposal to allocate $5 million for $1,000 bonuses for benefit-eligible staff not covered by the original state bonuses announced last month.

“We hope this helps,” said Dr. Tarece Johnson-Morgan, Gwinnett County School Board Member. “I know it’s not a whole lot, but it’s something. So we do appreciate you all.”

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The bonus extends to retirees who have been hired part time and full time along with new employees hired in early January.

“We all work really hard for our kids every day,” said teacher Elise Sheppard. “That’s a very positive move on our district’s part.”

Sheppard was already eligible for the bonuses announced in December. She says they will go toward boosting morale as everyone starts the new year.

“A lot of teachers were very grateful for the bonus,” she said, “especially just with inflation being the way it is right now.”

Similar expansions of the statewide bonuses were announced at Cobb, Marietta, DeKalb, and Fulton County Schools.

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