Atlanta educators frustrated by $1K bonus miscommunication
ATLANTA - Some educators with Atlanta Public Schools say they feel tricked by the school district.
This comes after APS officials told the teachers they had already received the $1,000 retention bonus announced on Monday by Gov. Brian Kemp.
The governor is calling the bonus a "midyear retention bonus."
"Oh, we are going to get another $1,000," teacher Ebony Spivey recalled hearing the news. "I was excited. I was like 'Oh, we have been appreciated by the governor."
Spivey along with other APS educators who reached out to FOX 5 say their excitement turned to confusion, then frustration, when they got a message from district officials.
State workers, teachers receive thousand-dollar bonus
Thousands of state employees across Georgia got an early present. The governor announced a big bonus for teachers and other state workers: a thousand dollars each. There’s also a big chunk of money going to make safety improvements in public schools.
RELATED: Kemp announces $1K bonus for Georgia teachers, state employees
"I know you guys are aware of the governor's $1,000 bonus, but you have already received that, so you will not be getting it," Spivey said, recounting the message.
The memo sent out reads in part:
"All eligible Atlanta Public Schools employees have already received the state-referenced employee retention supplement in the form of the Mid-Year Holiday Retention Stipend, included in the December 14, 2023, paycheck."
Spivey and others thought the initial $1,000 was a gift from APS officials.
"There was an approval meeting for retention bonuses for APS staff that was approved in July of 2023 that was approved, and we would get it in December," Spivey said.
RELATED: Teacher retention an issue in Georgia, situation could get worse
Educators thought the governor's bonus would be an added bonus.
APS officials sent FOX 5 this statement reading:
"Given that Gov. Kemp has provided bonuses for school employees the past few years. APS preemptively included the payment in its employees' December 15 paychecks so that they would have the funds prior to the holiday break. The district will reclassify the payments to eligible employees, restoring our fund balance for other educational needs in the future."
Many teachers say it would have been nice to get all the support during this holiday season from both the district and state.
"This could take a little burden off their shoulders. Student loan payments are high that we have to pay. This is a field we put our lives in jeopardy every day to teach these children," Spivey said.
More on Georgia 2023 $1,000 teacher bonus
Earlier this week, Gov. Brian Kemp announced that the state would be sending out a one-time $1,000 retention pay supplement to more than 300,000 state employees, educators and school support staff by the end of the year.
The $330 million payment will be given to each of the around 112,000 eligible, full-time state employees and 196,000 educators and staff across the state.
The pay supplement is planned to appear in employees' last paycheck in December.
The governor also announced a $100.3 million addition to provide $45,000 to every public school in the state to use for school security and safety.
The state's amended 2024 fiscal year budget will include both the pay supplement and security funding.
Teacher retention in Georgia
Data released this year from the Georgia Department of Education shows that statewide teacher retention has dropped for the last two years.
For metro Atlanta school districts, like Fulton, Cobb, DeKalb, Gwinnett and Atlanta Public Schools, the data indicates that teacher retention has dropped in the last two years as well.