Board of Education discusses teacher bonuses amid voucher system controversy

White County School Board postponed a decision during its Feb. 13 meeting about the distribution of teacher bonuses linked to Gov. Bill Lee’s recently signed school voucher bill “Education Freedom Act.”

Under this new legislation, K-12 public school teachers who are certified and spend at least 50 percent of their workday with students are eligible for a $2,000 bonus. However, board member Jayson McDonald expressed his concerns over this narrow group, advocating for a more inclusive approach. He emphasized that the governor’s decision to limit the bonuses to a select group of teachers does not adequately reflect the contributions of all school staff.

“They might not have students in front of them every day for 50 percent of the time, but they deserve to be recognized,” McDonald said, speaking of teachers and employees who have different roles in the White County School system.

Director of Schools Kurt Dronebarger clarified that the bonuses, funded by the state, are set to be distributed on June 30 for the 2025 fiscal year. The board must approve a resolution by June 1 to receive these funds that are supposed to come from the state. While Dronebarger is still waiting for a comprehensive set of guidelines from the state about the bonuses, he acknowledged the need to assess the potential costs of offering similar bonuses to all school employees, saying that providing some preliminary calculations could help the board understand the financial implications of expanding who is eligible to receive a bonus during the upcoming school year.

“It’s going to leave a lot of people out,” he said.

Dronebarger also pointed out the significant number of staff who would not qualify for the bonuses, which could leave the board with limited options. He said any decision they make needs to be carefully weighed against the district’s financial resources because anyone not eligible for the state-funded bonus would have to be paid out of local funds.

No decision was made on the bonuses. The board would like to see a cost analysis for them providing bonuses to the remaining school staff before making a final decision.

In other business, the board approved several field trips, including those for the WCHS TSA, WCHS Interact Club, WCMS FFA, and JROTC. They also approved a fundraiser request from the WCHS boys’ soccer team in collaboration with Brad Durham Fundraisers and approved the school calendar for the 2025-2026 academic year.

The next meeting of White County School Board is scheduled for March 20, at Northfield Elementary School. All meetings are open to the public and are livestreamed by Warrior Media.