Teachers in rural Iowa districts where a deadly school shooting occurred earlier this year would receive bonuses if they don’t quit their jobs under a new bill approved by lawmakers and sent to the governor. You will be able to do this.
The Jan. 4 attack at a high school in Perry, Iowa, about 40 miles northwest of Des Moines, killed sixth-grader Amir Jolliff, fatally injured high school principal Dan Marburger, and killed six others. A person was injured. The bill would allow the Perry, Iowa, school district to spend $700,000 of local taxes on employee bonuses during the next school year.
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The shooting began in the cafeteria, where students were gathering for breakfast before classes resumed after winter break. The gunman, 17-year-old student Dylan Butler, also died from an apparently self-inflicted gunfire.
FILE – Police respond to Perry High School in Perry, Iowa, January 4, 2024. Teachers and staff in rural Iowa districts where school shootings have occurred could receive bonuses if they don’t quit their jobs under a new bill sent to the governor for approval by lawmakers. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
Representatives from Perry and the Iowa School Boards Association spoke to lawmakers about staff retention challenges facing other schools facing similar tragedies, said Republican Rep. Carter Nordman. He said he had consulted him.
Nordman said it was a quick and efficient way to allow Perry to address staff retention locally, even though “no amount of money” would change the situation. It’s up to Perry to allocate the bonus. The bill would make any district employee eligible, not just those who work at the high school or middle school where the shooting occurred.
“The reality is, that’s what happened, and this is one of the things Perry can say to teachers: ‘We support you, we’re here for you. We want you to continue to be a part of this community and teach here,”’ Nordman said.
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The bill would also exempt Perry from state requirements regarding length of schooling. As community members grieved and the school district addressed safety concerns, the district canceled classes for several weeks at the middle school and high school that share a cafeteria, as well as at a nearby elementary school.
