Stimulus update: $1,500 Direct One-Time Bonus Check Payments Are Being Sent Out
It is an early Christmas for several eligible teachers at the Fort Smith School District in Arkansas, as they received the bonus payment of $1,500 last Thursday, Dec 15.
This bonus is to give relief for nearly all teachers at Fort Smith public schools for working through the COVID-19 pandemic and is paid out of the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund budget. The school board approved the payments last May 9 and was delivered yesterday Dec. 15.
According to an email from Charles Warren Chief Financial Officer of Fort Smith Public Schools, the qualified staff includes classroom teachers and other department-level certified staff, including but not limited to, interventionists, instructional specialists, special education coordinators, and adult education teachers. They also stated that school-level administrators (such as principals and assistant principals) will also qualify.
Stimulus update: Direct one-time $1,500 bonus check payments being sent out today (Photo: Gazette)
Teachers Receive $1,500 Direct One-Time Bonus Check Payment
Although some school staff, including district-level administrators such as department directors, will not qualify for this payment. According to Warren, a number of professionals also dubbed as not qualified such as nurses, police officers, and professional support staff also do not qualify, as they have separate salary schedules.
According to a published post by Gazette, teachers also received a benefit from the Certified Salary Schedule which raises their salaries by $3,471.87 annually. The bonus payments are being paid as many people are still facing high inflation during the busy Christmas season. The Bureau of Labor Statistics report published on Tuesday showed annual inflation slowing to 7.1% in November, outpacing the projected 7.3%.
