School superintendent donates his $10,000 bonus to high school seniors applying for college

The college application process can be daunting, but for some high school seniors in Marietta, Georgia, it just got a little bit easier. The school district's superintendent, Grant Rivera, decided to donate his first-ever $10,000 bonus to help students applying to college.

Applying to schools is not only time-consuming, it can also get expensive. Application fees average about $43, according to U.S. News and World Report, but some run between $70 and $90 each. Rivera, who makes a base salary of $190,136, will be giving his bonus money to the Marietta Schools Foundation, which will distribute it to students in need, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Rivera told the newspaper he expects 150 to 200 students in the 500-student senior class to apply for college, but that number could go higher. He said he hopes the donation will encourage students to apply to college early, which may give them a better chance of being accepted and receiving financial aid packages. 

"My hope is that it's an incentive for kids to do the right thing," Rivera told AJC.

Rivera, who became superintendent in 2016, is entitled to a bonus every three years, but said his work alone isn't what earns him the extra cash — it's the work of the entire school system's employees. "I don't believe that a bonus provided by the board should be earned on the backs of the teachers," Rivera said.

The news about Rivera's donation was shared on the school district's Facebook page. Many people thanked him for being so caring toward the students and a true leader.