More than $460,000 in teacher incentive grant funds were awarded to Butler County School System employees last Friday.

The national teacher incentive grant relies on the state’s assessments, which were held up by ACT’s data release. The data includes components of leadership, effectiveness, professional development and attendance.

“It’s a teacher incentive fund,” Litta Norris, BCSS administrative assistant for teaching and leading, said. “We basically are able to pay incentives for effectiveness.”

Norris said the big pay out the system performed was for professional development from the summer.

“We pay our teachers $25 an hour to do up to 40 hours of professional development because they’re going to do it any way,” she said.

Norris said the biggest payouts are in May, likely because of the summer months when teachers don’t receive a steady pay check.

“Basically, teachers aren’t paid,” she said. “They put in 70 hours and are getting paid for 40 hours. We’ve got to make sure we support them as much as we can.”

Norris said the other great thing about these funds is that they help fund other things, like coaches instruction and physical education within schools.

“We have so many small incentives,” she said. “The great thing our program is that it has something built in for everyone, regardless of where they are in their career.”

Norris said the incentives are paid out all year long, making it more of an “increase in pay,” rather than a big bonus for teachers.

BCSS superintendent Amy Bryan said she’s glad that the incentives go to every one within the system.

“Though teachers and principals earn the largest incentive checks, I am proud that our grant was written to include all system employees,” Bryan said. “After all, students depend on the whole team — bus drivers, counselors, nurses — even though they don’t directly provide instruction.

“Also, this grant should provide a nice economic boost to our county with over $460,000 being paid out to the system employees,” she said.