Released by GCS.
At a Special Called Meeting of the Board that will convene Tuesday immediately after the monthly Committee of the Whole, GCS Trustees will vote on two recommendations from the administration: the extension of COVID leave through August 2021, and the distribution of a bonus to all school district employees.
The COVID leave extension, which will mimic the parameters of the federal eFMLA leave that expired December 31, 2020, will be funded through the CARES Act. Like its predecessor, this will provide up to 80 hours of special leave for employees who are required to isolate or quarantine due to a COVID exposure or infection. It will be retroactive to January 1 and helps ensure employees’ leave accounts are not negatively impacted by absences caused by the pandemic’s mitigation measures.
If approved, the cost of the $9.4 million bonus will be funded by revenue in excess of expenditures from the FY 20 General Fund Budget, which was created when the budget was underspent during the shutdown, and the Food and Nutrition Services Fund Balance. This one-time bonus will not alter the district’s salary scale or result in any recurring costs to the General Fund. Its purpose is to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of GCS employees during the pandemic and it will be distributed in February.
“With the exception of healthcare, I believe the COVID pandemic has had a greater impact on education than maybe any other segment of society,” said Superintendent W. Burke Royster. “Our employees have been asked to innovate on a dime, learn, implement and monitor extensive protocols and procedures, selflessly respond to the basic needs of the community, create previously unknown attendance options, and serve as counselors and comforters, while fulfilling their duties using multiple in-person and remote platforms. All these have been accomplished while trusting that the protocols and mitigation factors we have in place are sufficient to protect them, their families, and their students.”
Full-time non-exempt employees, as defined by Federal Law, will receive $500 in recognition of new and additional duties they have shouldered over the last 10 months. By law, these employees have already received overtime pay or compensatory leave for hours worked beyond their scheduled time, but no raise or other compensation for additional duties that have resulted from the pandemic. Exempt employees, such as teachers, administrators, and professionals in finance, human resources, academics, etc., are not eligible for overtime and have not received any type of compensation for additional duties or the extra hours they have worked in response to the pandemic. As a result, exempt employees’ bonus will be $1,000. Part-time employees, substitutes, and adjunct employees who have worked this year will receive a partial bonus based on their particular situation.
“Tuesday’s Special Called meeting is the first opportunity for us to address the expiration of the federal COVID leave legislation and to make sure our employees are supported when they must quarantine or isolate due to this virus,” said Board Chair Lynda Leventis-Wells. “The closeout of the FY 20 General Fund budget and the presentation of the Comprehensive Annual Finance Report (CAFR) during the Committee of the Whole also provides us with the opportunity at the Special Called Meeting to recognize in a tangible way the tireless efforts of GCS employees over the last 10 months. From feeding children and providing solutions to those without internet service to the challenges of in-person instruction in the midst of a pandemic, our employees have responded in a big way to every challenge.”
