Stimulus update: One-time $1,500 bonus checks to arrive in Arkansas in 13 days
Misty Severi
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Some teachers in the Fort Smith School District of Arkansas will receive a one-time bonus check of $1,500 in 13 days, just in time for the holiday season.
The bonus checks, which are designed to provide relief to veteran teachers who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic, were approved in May by the school board and are set to be delivered by Dec. 15. The new funds will be paid out of the federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief budget, according to Talk Business.
BONUS CHECKS: SOME ARKANSAS TEACHERS WILL RECEIVE GIFT IN FORM OF ONE-TIME $1,500 BONUS
The bonuses will only go to select teachers in the school system. But adult education teachers, classroom teachers, instructional specialists, interventionists, and special education coordinators all qualify for the bonus. Principals and assistant principals also qualify, while district-level administrators do not.
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The benefit comes after the school board approved a new salary schedule, which includes annual salary raises, with veteran teachers receiving a lower raise than new teachers. The average raise was $3,471.81, a 5.89% pay increase for the current school year.
The bonus payments will be sent out to the eligible teachers as inflation remains high amid the busy holiday shopping season.