California School Districts Consider Using Covid Relief Funding For Teacher ‘Bonus’ Pay: Reports
On March 10, it was reported that the Galt Joint Union Elementary School District (GJUESD) Board members approved awarding teachers a $750 stipend. GJUESD Superintendent Karen Schauer stated that the stipend was intended to recognize “the extra efforts and learning new ways to provide instruction or shift instruction during a changing pandemic.”Heather Wetzel, Galt Elementary Faculty Association (GEFA) president, added, “The stipend in the addendum is to honor how much extra time all teachers have put in over the past year, as well as how mentally, emotionally and physically exhausting this has been for every teacher. We know that it has also been exhausting for the students and parents, and we thank them for continuing to make education a priority when it seems the world is falling apart around us.”
Reopen California Schools has since reported that the Clovis School District had proposed a $6,000 bonus per employee with state and federal aid money, tweeting, “The $6K proposed teacher and staff bonus to be voted by the board this Wed. It was shared with us by someone part of the negotiations. This person is outraged they are offering $6k in bonuses, money which is supposed to go towards programs for students.”
The $6K proposed teacher and staff bonus to be voted by the board this Wed. It was shared with us by someone part of the negotiations. This person is outraged they are offering $6k in bonuses, money which is supposed to go towards programs for students. pic.twitter.com/wS5d0sWuI8
— Reopen California Schools (@ReopenCASchools) March 14, 2021A spokesperson for the Clovis United School District told Fox News, “We have a committee of people who are meeting to brainstorm lots of needs and priorities for use of newly approved federal and state funds, but no decisions have been made, especially not one to give employees $6,000 dollars each.”
According to Reopen California Schools, the San Juan Unified School District reportedly offered a 1% bonus to all staff, “giving teachers an extra $500 stipend with Covid relief money.”
Update: @SanJuanUnified is not only offering a 1% bonus to all staff, it’s giving teachers an extra $500 stipend with Covid relief money.
See the frustration from this instructional aide who only got $131 from the bonus and no stipend. pic.twitter.com/JfdMVG3Z5u
— Reopen California Schools (@ReopenCASchools) March 14, 2021
A late-January agenda for the San Juan Unified School District board of education noted:
The superintendent is recommending that the board approve the one-time, off-schedule payment of 1% as outlined in the side letters of agreement between SJUSD and the following bargaining groups: a. San Juan Teachers Association (SJTA), which includes the 2021-2022 school year calendar b. California School Employees Association (CSEA) c. San Juan Professional Educators Coalition (SJPEC) d. Teamsters Local No. 150 San Juan Supervisors Association (SJSA)
The superintendent is recommending that the board approve the one-time, off-schedule payment of 1% for the following employee groups: a. San Juan Administrators Association (SJAA) and Cabinet b. Confidential and Unrepresented.
A “Memorandum of Understanding” between the Desert Sands Unified School District and the Desert Sands Teachers Association stated, “The District shall provide a $1,000 off-schedule one-time transition to hybrid instruction stipend to all full-time unit members who are employed by the District as of March 15, 2021, for the 2020-21 school year.”
BREAKING: @DesertSandsUSD agrees to use state & fed Covid money on bonuses. A sad hybrid plan existed prior to the aid bills passing.
Some teachers will still be remote while a sub is in the classroom. These online teachers get the bonus + stipend, not the sub.#NotAboutSafety pic.twitter.com/SrNa37Le3T
— Reopen California Schools (@ReopenCASchools) March 13, 2021
“California Gavin Newsom, who is facing a recall over his handling of the pandemic, said about 9,000 of the state’s roughly 11,000 schools have either reopened or have a ‘firm date’ to reopen — though he did not specify how his administration classifies a ‘reopened’ school,” Fox News reported. “Newsom said that billions of dollars in state and federal aid recently approved should help ensure that schools can offer summer programs and other supplemental learning to make up for lost time.”
No comments: