School Chief Donates Bonus To Help Seniors Pay For College Apps

MARIETTA, Ga. — Dr. Grant Rivera, Marietta's City Schools superintendent, is donating his $10,000 bonus to help his systems' seniors pay for their college application fees. Rivera has led the district's 11 schools, 8,900 students and 1,200 employees since 2017.

When he was given his contract, Rivera requested any bonus he received be given to students, as reported by CNN. Rivera then began working with district staff to determine how best the money could be used.

"When a student applies to college early action or early decision, we know that a student has greater opportunity for both college acceptance and financial aid," Rivera told the state. "I want to leverage my bonus to motivate and support students who might not otherwise have the opportunity for college access."

Rivera earned the $10,000 bonus check last fall.

"This is such a wonderful and unselfish gift. What a lovely man," wrote Bobbie Jo Gregor on the Marietta Schools Facebook page. "I sure hope students who apply to trade or technical school can use some of that application money. What a nice gesture. Those application fees add up."

And Sharon Bartley wrote, "Mr. Rivera is such a humble guy. This is so awesome. He does so much for (the) Marietta School system."

Marietta City Schools have consistently made national rankings as some of the best in Georgia. Walton High School in Marietta ranked as the fourth best high schools in the state for 2019 by U.S. News.

Data compiler Niche has ranked the city of Marietta's school system No. 41 among Georgia's best school districts for the 2019-2020 school year. Last month, the district demonstrated growth across grade levels and content areas, as measured by student performance on the Georgia Milestones. For the first time since the implementation of the Georgia Milestones, the district surpassed or matched the state in English Language Arts (ELA) for all grade levels tested.

Before taking his current job, Rivera was chief of staff for the Cobb County School District, and was a principal for nine years at three high schools: South Cobb High in Austell, Campbell High in Smyrna (2009-2011), and Westlake High in Fulton.

SEE ALSO:

• Marietta City Schools Make Georgia's Best Ranking
• Marietta Schools Show Gains In New Georgia Milestones Report
• Marietta Schools Return Thursday: Must Know Dates