Superintendent wants to expand teacher bonuses to all staff in the district

MARIETTA, Ga — Marietta Schools Superintendent Grant Rivera plans to make a request at the school board meeting Tuesday night to expand the $1,000 teacher bonus to all staff in the district.

Gov. Brian Kemp already announced the bonus for teachers and school-level staff that would be distributed through the CARES Act. However, Rivera wants to include staff in the central office.

The request will cost the district an extra $175,000.

“Marietta City Schools believes that non-school based staff have contributed equally to the degree of success that we’ve had in the district during the pandemic, and we will be honoring them accordingly,” Rivera said.

The district will disburse those payments as soon as the state school board signs off on the bonuses, according to Rivera.

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Staff bonuses are not the only change the superintendent wants to make. He also plans to include parents in the decisions for the 2021-2022 school year, which includes a presentation from Deputy Superintendent Belinda Walters-Brazile. There will be a series of virtual meetings with families leading up to the fall semester to get input from everybody.

“As we manage a pandemic today, we also have a responsibility to our families not to have the same degree of whiplash and surprises as we look ahead to August of (2021),” Rivera said. “This presentation will include details about our values as a district and what we feel we owe both our staff and our families, as well as a timeline for how we’re going to engage families in the discussion so they can make the most informed decisions for their child.”

One board member wants to make sure the city continues to offer the choice of in-person and virtual learning next year, because there is no option for vaccinating children right now, primarily due to limited supply.

The school board will consider a partnership with Peachtree Immediate Care to give COVID-19 tests on school district property, and to provide $35,000 to cover the cost of testing for uninsured children. Also, the district plans to entertain the idea of spending more than $40,000 for tents to promote social distancing by eating outside.

The Marietta School board meeting takes place today at 6 p.m. at the Central Office on 250 Howard St. in Marietta. This meeting is open to the public.

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