Lincoln County Schools Teachers will Receive a One-Time State Funded Payment

According to the Elk Valley Times, the Lincoln County Board of Education unanimously passed a resolution enabling a one-time payment for teachers under the Education Freedom Act of 2025. A section of the Act grants a one-time, state-funded $2,000 award to public school instructors to celebrate their dedication to students. Section 4 of the Education Freedom Act of 2025 provides bonuses to public school teachers in kindergarten through grade 12 for the 2024-25 school year, but only if the school board approves the program by June 1st, 2025. The bonuses must not be deemed salary payments, as defined by the Act. Dr. Bill Heath, director of schools, stated that the bonuses are intended for teachers and do not cover administrative or support workers. He stated that the Tennessee Department of Education will check through the school system’s TNCompass database to decide which teachers will earn the bonus. TNCompass is the department’s system for collecting educator evaluation, licensure, and compensation data. Heath stated that the funds would go to the Lincoln County Finance Department and then to the teachers.