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ACPS offers bonuses for these ‘hard-to-fill’ jobs | ALXnow

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ACPS offers bonuses for these ‘hard-to-fill’ jobs | ALXnow

School buses preparing at Alexandria City High School (staff photo by James Cullum)

Alexandria City Public Schools is offering bonuses for a number of “hard-to-fill positions,” like bus drivers and math, science and special education teachers.

The employees who already work in these jobs will all get a $1,000 retention bonus in their paychecks next month, according to ACPS.

New bus drivers hired between July 2 and Sept. 1 will also get a $5,000 recruitment bonus. ACPS will also pay existing bus drivers $500 for a referral that leads to a new hire.

New math, science and special education teachers will get a $2,000 recruitment bonus.

ACPS has long been in the midst of a staffing crisis, and the school system’s employment page lists dozens of vacant positions, including high school science, math and history teacher jobs.

The lack of bus drivers recently drew criticism from Vice Mayor Amy Jackson.

“(George Washington Middle School) bus is supposed to arrive at 7:44 and it’s still not here at 8:08 – are the kids unexcused tardy if I take them to school or excused?” Jackson wrote on Facebook.

According to ACPS:

Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) is pleased to announce new retention and recruitment bonuses for hard-to-fill positions, funded by the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER), to be awarded by Sept. 30, 2024.

These bonuses aim to attract and retain talented professionals in key areas that are critical to our division’s success hired after July 1, 2024, for the 2024-25 school year. Bonuses are not available to staff hired after Sept. 30, 2024.

  • James Cullum

    Reporter James Cullum has spent nearly 20 years covering Northern Virginia. He began working with ALXnow in 2020, and has covered every story under the sun for the publication, from investigative stories to features and photo galleries. His reportage includes coverage of national and international situations, as well as from the White House, Capitol, Pentagon, Supreme Court and State Department. He has also covered protests and riots throughout the U.S. (including the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol), in addition to earthquake-ridden Haiti, Western Sahara in North Africa and war-torn South Sudan. He has photographed presidents and other world leaders, celebrities and famous musicians, and excels under pressure.

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