GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – An anonymous donation is lifting the burden of the cost of higher education for teachers at Green Bay Area Catholic Education (GRACE) schools.

According to the GRACE website, teachers working at these schools will now be able to pursue their master’s degree completely free of charge through the GRACE Master’s Degree Path Program at St. Norbert College.

Dr. Jennifer Hockenbery, Dean of Humanities at St. Norbert College, and Kim Desotell, President of Green Bay Area Catholic Education.

In an announcement made by GRACE and the college on Wednesday, both explain the anonymous source called “Invest in Teacher Excellence” will help the program that has 19 fully-funded scholarships that cover tuition, books, and other fees.

“This is not a degree that’s going to take them up and out of the classroom. This is a classroom that is going to keep them and sustain them in their quest of excellence every single day in the classroom,” explained Kim Desotell, President of Green Bay Area Catholic Education.

The donation also helped start the Top Teacher Talent Award that will recognize exceptional teachers and provide a stipend to support teaching success.

The program is scheduled to begin in the Fall semester.