61 educators in D93 receive a $12,000 salary boost

“When I look at that list I think of great collaboration because I work with every one of the people on this list, and we share knowledge with on another, we share ideas and everything is focused on student achievement,” said Rodd Rapp.

Rodd Rapp is one of 61 educators at Bonneville Joint School District 93 that has been awarded the Master Educator Premium.

“Having that many teachers who not only applied but also qualified, says a lot for the atmosphere and the feeling in this district. It’s a place where people want to be and want to stay and so it’s great to be among that many great people,” said Rapp.

These educators will receive a $12,000 salary boost that will be paid out in $4,000 payments over the next three years.

Many times we hear the term ‘money is the motive’ but in the education profession, superintendent Scott Woolstenhulme has a different opinion.

“I really don’t think money motivates teachers to do better, I know a lot of times people think, ‘hey if you just pay them more they’ll work harder, but our teachers work so hard as it is. To me what it does is it really rewards those teachers that have spent more than eight years in the classroom, that have decided stay in the classroom and keep teaching students, and for a lot of teachers it just helps make ends meet,” said Woolstenhulme.

To qualify for the premium, educators had to have had at least eight years of teaching or pupil service staff experience, and the past three years of that experience in Idaho. They also had to create a portfolio showcasing their teaching skills.

“We had a lot of teachers actually come together, they worked together in their libraries after school to work on their portfolio and plans that they submitted to the state,” said Woolstenhulme.

Portfolios were reviewed by fellow educators.

KIFI 2019