Howard County Executive Calvin Ball has pledged $8 million in American Rescue Plan funding to provide bonuses to Howard County Public School System educators. In a letter to the Board of Education (BOE), 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.
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.