“The bonuses will bring the take home pay for Catholic school personnel to be closer to the diocesan goal of 90% of public school personnel’s pay,” the diocese said.
Angie Shelangoski, principal of St. Stanislaus Elementary School in Wardsville, praised the work of Catholic school teachers.
“The lengths these teachers have gone to, the creativity they’ve shown and supplemental materials they’ve found in making their lessons come alive through technology, it’s nothing short of amazing,” she said.
Anthony Arnold, principal of St. Patrick Elementary School in Rolla, said the money recognizes that student success is “the result of a lot of hard work and going above and beyond, unbeknownst to many.”
“It’s a beautiful thing to watch, and it is everything Catholic schools are about,” he said, according to the diocese.
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“We’re here because of our faith, and we believe in what we’re doing,” said Mary McCoy, principal of St. Peter Elementary School in Marshall.
The donors of the $1.4 million sum live in the diocese, whose territory covers 38 counties in northeastern and central Missouri. There are about 82,000 Catholics in the diocese out of a total population of about 920,000, according to 2017 statistics on the diocese’s website.
This year’s donation is not the first major anonymous gift.