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Group pushes for bonuses and pay increases for GCS teachers and staff

Guilford County Schools is the third largest school system in North Carolina. The district employs around 10,000 people. KERI BROWN/WFDD.

Educators and community members are asking for bonuses and pay increases for employees in the Guilford County Schools district. The school board is expected to discuss the issue at an upcoming meeting.

The Guilford County Association of Educators held a rally Tuesday, asking for $4,000 bonuses for teachers and staff, and saying that the district can tap into federal pandemic relief funds to do it. Organizers say they also launched a petition to call attention to a school staffing crisis. 

The group says the additional money is needed to help retain educators and prevent student impact.

Nearby school districts, including those in Rockingham and Randolph counties, have recently approved large bonuses for employees.

Guilford County Schools officials say they have given some step pay increases and bonuses over the past year and a half. 

The school board recently discussed the possibility of bonuses at a recent meeting. Superintendent Sharon Contreras says any plan that she would bring before the board would include something for all of the district's employees, which is about 10,000 people.

The Guilford County Board of Education will meet again on December 14.

This comes as North Carolina lawmakers approved a new state budget that includes a series of raises and bonuses for most state workers and teachers.

 Follow WFDD"s Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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