The Gloucester County School Board unanimously approved to request a local match of $363,307 to fund a one-time retention incentive payment for division employees during its regular monthly meeting Tuesday night in the T.C. Walker Education Center auditorium. If these local funds are approved, the state would provide more than half a million dollars for these bonuses. Funds were added to the fiscal year 2026 budget to provide a one-time bonus for SOQ (standards of quality) funded positions, which is the base number of employees that the state has deemed able to operate a school division. “This bonus requires a local match,” said Gloucester County Public Schools Chief Financial Officer Tara Woodruff. A version of this bonus was first proposed as part of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s boost budget in December. After revisions were made by the General Assembly, Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed the final budget in March. School divisions are required to submit certification of their participation by ...