Fayette County Public Schools will give a $1,000 one-time award to all school system employees, both full-time and part-time.
Hourly employees who worked at least 190 hours this school year will receive $500, and 49% retirees will get $490. Employees will get their checks on Friday, April 16.
In January, Governor Brian Kemp and State School Superintendent Richard Woods announced a $1,000 award would be provided to all public K-12 school-level teachers and staff to support stronger recruitment and retention, and as a gesture of gratitude for their work and sacrifices during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Fayette County Public Schools is grateful to the Governor, the Georgia General Assembly, and the Georgia Department of Education for allotting $1,000 awards to all school-level teachers and staff in Georgia as part of the state’s Covid-19 relief response,” said school system Public Information Director Melinda Berry-Dreisbach.
“Our schools could not have re-opened this year without the hard work and support of our teachers and school staff, as well as that of our entire district team: facilities/maintenance workers, bus drivers, custodians, secretaries, school health services personnel, school nutrition program employees, after school program personnel, and county office staff,” she said.
“Since the start of the pandemic, there has been a team effort across all areas of the school system to continue operations. The state will not reimburse the school system for giving the one-time award to all employees, but the Fayette County Board of Education feels it is necessary to support the entire school system team for their hard work and dedication,” she said.
“Fayette County Public Schools values its employees, and knows that this has been a particularly challenging year. Our role as public school employees has never been more important, to our students and to our communities. The work and support that our staff has shown to our students has not gone unnoticed, and the school system is pleased to pass along this well-deserved award,” Berry-Dreisbach said.
