Howard County Government: Howard County Executive Commits $8 Million For Educator Bonuses

Press release from the Howard County Government:

12/20/2021

In a letter to the Board of Education, Ball also requested they use a portion of its $43.5 million federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund III to match the County’s $8 million commitment to support educators. 

ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball today pledged $8 million in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding(link is external) to provide bonuses to Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) educators. In a letter to the Board of Education (BOE)(link is external), Ball also requested they use a portion of its $43.5 million federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) III to match the County’s $8 million commitment to support educators. 

Our educators have served as a lifeline to our students and their families through the pandemic, managing the demands of switching from virtual to hybrid modes of instruction, all the while caring for the health and safety of their own families. For our teachers and support staff, these past two years have been especially grueling, and I believe we must retain those committed educators that make our school system among the best in the nation.

Calvin Ball

Howard County Executive

The Ball Administration provided bonus pay to approximately 2,700 full-time and contingent employees, including public safety workers, members of the Health Department, and others on the front line of the pandemic. Last month, County Executive Ball also committed $2 million in ARP funding to provide retention and signing bonuses for school bus drivers.  

This press release was produced by the Howard County Government. The views expressed here are the author’s own.