Heart of the District

Decatur Public Schools #61 seeks to recognize employees and students who display exemplary performance and support for DPS, our students, our staff, and our community. 

Anyone may submit a nomination, as long as the nominee is NOT a family member. These awards are not intended to be a popularity contest. Those submitting nominations are encouraged to consider the impact the nominee has had on students, staff, school, and our District community. Nominations will be reviewed by a committee monthly, and winners will be featured in The DOT newsletter. Click on the banner to submite a nomination form!

Principal Bonus Qualification

Decatur Public Schools #61 has collaborated to develop a performance-based bonus system for principals and administrative support personnel for the purpose of rewarding high-level performance and creating incentives for schools and their leaders to improve their performance in various areas aligned with overall school improvement. 

Click on the banner above to view the criteria and rubric used to determined the qualifications for a principal to receive a bonus.

Administrative Support Staff Recognition

In this program, any employee may nominate a candidate. The acknowledgement is not intended to be a popularity contest, and those submitting nominations are encouraged to consider the impact the candidate has had on our students, staff, school and district community.

Employees can be nominated for the award and must be returning to the district the following year, excluding retirees. Click on the banner above to fill out a nomination form and submit to welisten@dps61.org. 

Customer CAREs Customer Service

The DPS CAREs is a program recognizing employees for creating a positive culture at Decatur Public Schools with exceptional customer service from a DPS staff member. If you have experienced excellent customer service, nominate an employee for a Customer CARE Award by clicking on the banner above.