Teacher Appreciation Day, Senate budget backs $150M in bonuses

On National Teacher Appreciation Day the Senate included a $150 million teacher bonus line in its 2027 budget proposal and unions honored Greencastle Elementary second-grade teacher Estelle Moore in Silver Spring. The $150 million appears as a discrete line item in the Senate's 2027 discretionary education plan intended for teacher bonuses. DonorsChoose ran a match day that doubled gifts for classroom projects, backing requests like Mrs. Rodriguez's Hands-On STEAM appeal for 25-plus activity sets, a 40-experiment physics kit, batteries, a vacuum, and snacks. Together the federal bonus funding and matched donations push both teacher compensation and immediate classroom resources, addressing pay stagnation and material shortages that affect student learning.