Guilford County Schools is offering a big signing bonus to help fill teacher vacancies at some of its lowest performing schools.
The district says newly hired teachers can receive a $20,000 bonus if they meet certain criteria. They must show two consecutive years of highly effective student growth data.
Educators must also commit to teach for at least three years in one of the district's 25 lowest-performing schools.
GCS offered a similar teacher recruitment bonus during the pandemic and district leaders say it was effective. Recruitment is taking place at the national level and the district also plans to target surrounding areas where teacher pay is lower.
"We would love to consider their credentials and get them started with us as soon as we can because we want all of our students to have a teacher on the first day of school, and we are starting school earlier this year," says Alison Yates, director of staffing for the district. "So time is of the essence and we look forward to filling these positions with the best teachers that we can.”
As of Wednesday, there were approximately 120 teacher vacancies in Guilford County Schools.
The district says it will use federal COVID-19 relief dollars, also known as ESSER funds, to pay for the teacher signing bonuses.
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