Teachers win $4,600 incentive checks

Eighteen hard working educators in the San Juan School District received an unexpected surprise during the last week of the school year: a $4,600 bonus.
The teachers earned the bonus as a result of growth in the test scores of students in their classrooms.
In the past year, a new incentive program to reward effective teachers in high poverty schools was created by the Utah State legislature. The San Juan School District joined the program and agreed to match the state contribution. Awards were presented this year and again in 2019 for the teachers of high performing students.
Teachers with students who experienced significant growth in standardized SAGE testing scores received the bonus. The growth in test scores needed to be higher than 70 percent of the general population of students.
The checks were presented on May 21 during unexpected classroom visits. After taxes are deducted, the amount won by each teacher is more than $4,200.
“We have known about this for months, but couldn’t tell the teachers,” said Monticello High School Principal Lewis Whitaker. Five teachers at MHS received the award.
Teachers from Albert R Lyman Middle School who received the incentive are Amy Burge and Chris Allen.
Alton Chamberlain, Tina Crofts, Keith Kartchner, Jolin Redd, and Robert Turk received the award for their work at Blanding Elementary School.
Jenny Atcitty and Anita Jacobsen earned the incentive award at Montezuma Creek Elementary School.
Monticello High School teachers who earned the incentive include Krieg Adair, Kara Boyd, Josh Keyes, Koryn Knudsen, and Elisa Rogers.
Michael Holyoak, Colleen Pehrson and Laurie Randall earned the incentive for their work at Monticello Elementary School.
Megan Decker received the incentive award at Monument Valley High School.