A retired couple from Sun City in Georgetown surprised every teacher and staff member in Jarrell ISD with $100 in cash last week.
Dave and Jill Gaulden were at the district's Double Creek Elementary School campus to hand out some of the money Friday. The pair greeted and shook hands with every one of the school's teachers and staff members before handing each a $100 bill.
"It feels really good to be acknowledged in what we do like that," Michelle Rivera, a behavioral paraprofessional at the school, said. "It's very, very kind of them to do that."
The Gauldens both worked in education before retiring: Dave as a distributor of school supplies, and Jill as an elementary school teacher.
The pair said they decided to surprise teachers and staff with the money for Teacher Appreciation Week because they know firsthand how financially challenging the profession can be.
"We know that teachers many times take money out of their own pocket to pay for things for their classroom and things of that nature. So this is just a little bit of payback." Dave Gaulden said. "It’s a drop in the bucket compared to what they’re really worth, but so far, the teachers have been pretty excited."
Jill Gaulden said it was important for teachers and staff to know they are not obligated to use any of the money on school supplies.
"We specifically decided that these teachers do not need to spend this money in the classroom," she said. "They can go out for dinner or they can do whatever they want with it."
The pair also gave every teacher and staff member in nearby Florence ISD $100 in cash for Teacher Appreciation Week.
Together, the couple's gifts to the two school districts total $66,800.
