$1,000 "Thank You" stimulus money
There won't be a fourth stimulus check coming, at least not anytime soon. However, there is still financial aid from the last relief bill available; monthly statements began coming out as part of the nationwide expansion of the child tax credit included in the US bailout package signed into law in March.
The bill also set aside money to distribute to Americans who are struggling to pay rent or a mortgage and to parents who need help with the costs of caring for their children.
In addition, the bill sent $350 billion in aid to state and local governments. Much of that help will be directed to schools, making sure they're safe. Still, some states and cities are using the money for schools in another way — they're handing out $1,000 stimulus checks to employees as a thank you for their efforts during the pandemic when they've been forced to adjust to remote teaching.
In Georgia, nearly every teacher and school employee, including bus drivers and cafeteria workers, will receive the bonus, which will cost the state about $200 million — 35 percent of the coronavirus stimulus money sent to them. Florida will distribute between $1,000 and 170,000 teachers, and in Berkeley, California, teachers will receive a bonus estimated at 3.5 percent of their salary.
It's a welcome sight for many of the school's staff, but it also caused a lot of outrage. In Florida, the 130,000 school staff who are not teachers are fed up with not being rewarded. Meanwhile, parents are questioning the use of money, which they believe should help students better in math and science. One mother told the Wall Street Journal, "I'm the last person to say 'don't pay teachers.' However, it has to come from the good bond."
Teachers in Tennessee and Colorado will also receive bonuses. Other local governments will likely agree to similar packages in the coming months — they have until 2024 to spend the stimulus money they sent from
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