Education Hiring Bonuses

As the 2021-2022 school year approaches, there is a noticeable teacher shortage across the country. In a survey by Frontline Education, two-thirds of 1,200 school and district leaders have reported a teacher shortage, especially among certified and special education teachers. According to another survey, taken at the end of July, of 2,690 members of the NEA (National Education Association), 32% said the pandemic is making them leave their profession earlier than expected.

Schools are combatting this shortage by offering signing bonuses to attract staff and to give veteran teachers and staff incentive bonuses to stay on. Below is a list compiled of bonuses throughout the country in the education space and how they are paid out to employees. Also listed are the local schools in New Jersey who are using hiring bonuses to attract staff.

Snapshot of Hiring Bonuses Around the Country

July marked the peak hiring season for Shelby County schools in Memphis, Tennessee, and they are enticing full or part-time teachers and staff with $7,500 sign-on bonus. All bonuses have a one-year obligation. With the first half being paid after the first semester and second half being paid after completing the last semester of the year.

Durham Public Schools in North Carolina are offering $3,500 for new hires. Additional bonuses are offered by grade level and field of study and could top out as high as $8,000 for a total bonus. However, these bonuses will be distributed over a three-year period. The first installment will be given in September of 2021.

Wake County schools are offering a $3,500 bonus to the 100 special education teachers they plan to hire. The first half will be paid after the first three months of employment, starting in September. The other half will be paid in November of 2022 if the teacher is still employed by the county school.

The certified teacher shortage is so impactful in Waco, Texas, that the Waco Independent School District is planning to give $8.6 million in bonuses. Giving their teachers up to $10,000 in bonuses and custodians and cafeteria workers up to $1,000 in bonuses. All the bonuses will be paid in three installments, starting in December 2022 and end in September 2024.

New Jersey Schools Offering Sign On Bonuses

Lead Charter School, in Newark, NJ, is offering, potentially, a $4,000 bonus to a special education teacher with the appropriate certifications.

The Guidepost Montessori at Mahwah is offering a $1,000 sign-on bonus to Montessori-trained infant and toddler Lead Teachers.

Even the South Mountain YMCA is offering teacher assistants $500 bonuses. The Learning Experience in Ledgewood, NJ, is offering a $500 sign-on bonus as well, for their toddler teachers.

Locally, sign-on bonuses vary depending on the position available. A lot of the generous hiring bonuses from school districts in other states are coming from stimulus funds they have received and need to be spent by 2024. This has led to complaints from parents and others who claim such payments violate the intent of the federal funding. The schools and school districts say that these type of bonuses are a one-time incentive to attract new hires and also serve as a “thank you” to veteran teachers, in hopes to stave off resignations.

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