Certified teachers in the Highland Community School District will soon see a one-time $700 increase in their paychecks.

And just in time for the holidays.

The Highland Board of Education voted at its monthly meeting Monday night to pay out $700 to each teacher in Teacher Salary Supplement (TSS) funds. The district has 52.9 teachers, including part-time instructors.

The TSS funds have built up over several years and the state is requiring all school districts to use at least 95% of its funds by the end of the fiscal year on June 30, 2022. The money can only be used to supplement teacher salaries.

“It is teacher money,” said Ken Crawford, Superintendent of Schools. “It is not general fund money. It’s teacher money.”

The board considered payout options of $500 and higher but chose the $700 payments. The $700 payments will use up about $43,000, or about half of the district’s TSS funds, said Sue Rich, School Board Secretary.

To get down to the 5% limit of TSS funds by the end of the fiscal year, the board will likely consider another payout to teachers in the spring.

The board also approved a technology project that consists of $75,360 being used to purchase 48 Epson BrightLink projectors for a number of classrooms. The projectors are being purchased from Midwest Computer Products of West Chicago.

“This is a big investment in our technology,” Crawford said. “It’ll be a great upgrade for all of our district.”

Including the electrical work that needs to be done, Crawford said he expects the projectors to be in place by the start of the 2022-23 school year.