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Clark County teachers may be getting a one-time pay raise for the 2021-2022 school year.

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) is giving school districts the opportunity to provide teachers with compensation for working through the Covid pandemic – under certain conditions.

The Clark County Board of Education, when requesting the federal money for this compensation, will have to outline for KDE that this payment will maintain the continuity of services/continue staff employment, and explain how teachers are continuing to educate students throughout the pandemic. In addition, this payment will have to be more than $1,000 to have it count toward a teacher’s retirement.

“We would have to say we want to provide a stipend for the following: it could be virtual communications, email communications, some type of after-school virtual academy,” said William Taulbee, vice-chair of the Clark County Board of Education.

Board of education member Brenda Considine added that this payment could help with teacher retention, especially given the difficulties COVID-19 has had on education.

The Clark County Board of Education ultimately approved to request from KDE a total of $3,000 for every teacher across the board – substitutes included. This payment would be dispersed in two halves, being $1,500 in November and $1,500 in March.

Considine explained that this plan would not be finalized immediately; KDE will have to approve Clark County’s plan for the stipend. She added that this process may take multiple months.