REXBURG — Teachers, administrators and staff in the Madison School District will have some extra cash this holiday season.

The district plans to pay 2 percent bonuses to certified staff and 3.5 percent bonuses to classified staff in December, October board minutes show.

Total payout: $492,000.

“It’s a thank you during a time of year when people are spending a little more than normal,” said Madison Assistant Superintendent Randy Lords.

Trustees try to do something extra for staff each year in December, Lords told EdNews. Consistent state funding hikes for K-12 in recent years made this year’s bonuses possible. For the last five years, Idaho lawmakers have boosted K-12 spending by more than $100 million annually.

“Legislators have been great to schools in the last few years,” Lords said. “We appreciate that.”

The bonuses also address local challenges in teacher retention, Lords added. “It helps us keep the good people we have.”

The Madison School District last year enrolled around 5,300 students and is located in Rexburg, 30 miles north of Idaho Falls.

Idaho Education News data analyst Randy Schrader contributed to this report.