ATLANTA — Hundreds of Cobb County teachers will go back to class on Tuesday with a new outlook toward their job.
Third grade special education teacher Stacy King is among the 500 teachers who are earning a free master’s degree thanks to the school district’s new partnership with the University of West Georgia.
King has dreamed of earning a master’s degree since shortly after beginning her career as a teacher.
“It was cost prohibitive,” said King. “So I just put it off and put it off and life gets in the way. When this opportunity came along I was like, it’s free! Who can pass up free?”
In an effort to retain teachers, the Cobb County school system is paying for educators to go back to school. The University of West Georgia is helping by lowering the cost of tuition for Cobb teachers seeking a master’s degree.
It’s a partnership other school systems across Georgia are now emulating with other universities.
King is one of the many educators across the country that have experienced burnout.
She says the opportunity to get a free master’s is a giant boost.
“I can’t tell you what that means for my family,” said King. “Not only will I get more money, I’ll get more money when I retire because it makes my pension higher.”
According to Cobb Schools, a teacher with five years of experience earns an extra $6,800 dollars a year with a master’s degree. The pay boost is $8,700 for teachers with 10 years of experience.
“The students get teachers with more knowledge, better able to teach them,” said King. “So everyone wins.”
King and the other teachers in the program are able to take classes online. If all goes according to plan, she will graduate from the University of West Georgia with a Master’s Degree in Special Education next fall. It’s the same school where she earned her undergraduate degree thirty-seven years ago.