Many businesses set goals for their management team and those goals are usually rewarded with the promise of monetary rewards if those goals are met.

In Rockdale, the Rockdale County school board voted to reward its superintendent a bonus if he met certain contract goals. According to re- ports, Superintendent Richard Autry achieved or is in progress with his 49 goals and was rewarded a $8,750 bonus, or 5 percent of his annual salary. The goals achieved helped secure and improve the education of our children here in the county.

In addition Autry was due a cost of living increase, also $8,750, per his contract. Last year he turned down the cost of living increase and this year he is donating that amount to the Superintendents’ Scholarship fund. This is fitting since Rockdale County Public Schools employees did not receive a cost of living increase last year and this year.

What we don’t understand is how members of the school board could vote to not honor the Superintendent’s contract commitment. We think Autry is doing a good job and by all accounts has earned his pay and his bonus as well.

We commend all our educators who earn their pay and more every day in the crucial work they do. Now that the financial forecast is getting better, we would like to see cost of living and STEP increases, which have been frozen for the past five years, reinstated for all of Rockdale’s educators as soon as is financially reasonable.