Georgia school superintendent donates $10K bonus to cover college application fees

A Georgia public school system superintendent is donating his $10,000 bonus to pay for high school seniors’ college application fees.

Grant Rivera, the superintendent of Marietta city schools in Georgia, told “Good Morning America,” in an interview this week that he received a $10,000 bonus when the district met performance standards, but “didn’t feel it was fair for me as superintendent to profit off the backs of our teachers.”

He decided this week to give his bonus to “students who decided to apply to college early admission and early action.”{mosads} 

Rivera said he will donate $10,000 to the Marietta Schools Foundation, which will distribute the money to students. There are an estimated 500 seniors in his district. 

“We know that students have an increased chance of getting accepted and increased chance of financial aid,” when they apply early, Grant told “Good Morning America.” “I didn’t want senioritis to prompt a kid to miss out on any opportunities.”

If there are any leftover funds, Rivera told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the money would go toward the cost of field trips for college visits.

Rivera added that another reason he donated the bonus was to show students “I believe in you and I’m proud of the work you did to get to this place.”

His donation is significant as college applications can be pricey. A 2019 ranking by U.S. News and World Report of college application fees from 967 colleges found the average fee is $43 per application, with the most expensive schools charging up to $77 per application.