The White County Board of Education discussed whether hourly support staff should receive paid leave for school closures caused by snow and ice during its March 20 meeting.

District staff presented cost figures: paying all hourly support staff for a single closure day would cost about $31,000. Because the district used 11 unscheduled inclement-weather days this school year (two other days had been used for professional development), staff calculated a notional cost of about $340,000 if the board chose to pay for all those days rather than requiring employees to make up time under current practice.

Staff and several board members framed the question as a budget decision rather than an immediate operational change. The district’s existing practice is that hourly employees (paraprofessionals, many support staff) make up five days through additional daily minutes over the school year; the makeup schedule reduces the amount of paid time the district pays out if closures occur. Some neighboring systems pay hourly staff for weather closures, and several board members said they wanted to study the practice and its budget implications.

Why it matters: The decision affects payroll budgeting and equity for lower-paid hourly staff who lose pay during closures. For the current snow year, paying for all closure days would consume a material amount of district funds that staff said are currently available only as year-end savings if closures reduce workdays.

What’s next: The board took no formal vote at the March meeting. Staff were asked to include the figures in upcoming budget deliberations so the board can consider the fiscal trade-offs when setting next year’s budget.