A Philanthropist Handed $9,000 Checks to Every Teacher at This California School—Here’s Why

National wage data shows public school educators in many U.S. states fail to earn the country’s median annual benchmark of $64,220, despite logging work hours that far exceed those of average adult workers.

Addressing that economic gap at the district level, a sudden staff meeting in a San Francisco suburb concluded last week with more than 100 teachers, counselors, and advisors receiving individual payouts of $9,161.70, according to details reported by The San Francisco Standard.

The mass payout was made possible through a $1 million gift from area philanthropist Maja Kristin.

“We, as citizens, can write a direct check,” Kristin told television station KRON4. “My hope was … word would get out, and Marin residents who value public education would step forward one way or another, whether it’s a direct gift or a political act, or foundation pull or something.”

Although Marin County stands among the most affluent communities bordering San Francisco—boasting a median household income close to $150,000—educators within the Ross Valley School District earned just around $64,000. By comparison, entry-level teacher pay in neighboring Marin County districts reaches nearly $80,000, according to figures provided by the Ross Valley School District. Furthermore, district records demonstrate that while mid-career salaries elsewhere in Marin County can reach up to $142,000, Ross Valley lags behind at approximately $102,000.

The regional pay disparities highlight broader economic pressures in Northern California’s Bay Area, where extreme real estate values and cost-of-living indicators place lower-salaried civic employees at a distinct financial disadvantage. According to state economic data, living costs in Marin County rank among the highest in the country, creating retention challenges for public school systems whose wage scales fail to match local real estate and household expenditures.

In light of those statistics, Kristin characterized the $64,000 salary tier in Ross Valley as severe undercompensation for public educators.

“I have three kids, and there’s lots of activities that they want to do that we can’t always afford to pay for because of my salary,” teacher Anna Schnell told KRON4. “And it’s with this kind [of] money that there are things I can say yes to that they want to do, so it’s really exciting and huge for our family.”

Kristin’s initiative reflects a growing trend of private donors circumventing institutional channels to deliver funds straight to school workers. Last year, an anonymous tech worker in San Francisco distributed $1.6 million to provide $250 gift cards to all 6,000 teachers and paraeducators across the San Francisco Unified School District. Similarly, businessman and television figure Marcus Lemonis issued $18,000 checks directly to every employee at his former Miami high school alma mater in 2021.

“I’m not going to wait for the government or private institutions to do what we think is right,” Lemonis stated at the time, echoing Kristin’s assertion that private citizens possess the capacity to write direct checks.

Who is Maja Kristin and why did she donate $1 million to teachers?

Kristin began her legal career focusing on civil litigation for survivors of sexual abuse, gaining national prominence for her work representing victims in cases against the Catholic Church involving clerical misconduct.

She subsequently taught courses in negotiation and mediation across several California law faculties, including Stanford Law School, UC Berkeley School of Law, and UC Hastings (now UC Law San Francisco).

Raised by a single mother in San Francisco’s public housing developments, Kristin self-funded her undergraduate and legal education. She established her own law practice within two years of passing the bar exam, earning recognition as one of America’s top 10 female attorneys by Time magazine.

During a podcast interview, Kristin articulated a personal giving strategy she calls “the last breath, the last dime,” which entails fully disbursing her financial resources throughout her lifetime rather than leaving an estate to heirs.

Although her total net worth remains private, Kristin has directed multiple major capital gifts to civic and charitable causes, including $3 million to the American Red Cross in January and $3 million to UC Berkeley’s Human Rights Center in 2023. That same year, she gifted a 120-acre parcel in Nicasio (in Marin County) to Halleck Creek Ranch—an organization providing therapeutic horseback riding for children and adults with disabilities—following more than ten years of continuous financial support for the non-profit.

“The timing was just perfect,” Kristin told the Point Reyes Light, explaining that the ranch was actively seeking land conservation and outreach expansion when she made contact—a transfer that finalized her long-term strategy of deploying her assets directly into community causes during her lifetime.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com