Washington Elementary board approves one-time retention and longevity stipends for staff

The Washington Elementary School District governing board on Aug. 28 approved a proposal from the district's interest-based negotiation (IBN) team to pay one-time retention stipends and per-year longevity stipends to eligible employees, in a 3-1 vote.

The board approved a flat, one-time retention stipend of $200 for employees with one to nine years of service and $300 for employees with 10 or more years of service, plus longevity payments of $30 per year for one to four years of service, $40 per year for five to nine years, and $60 per year for 10 or more years. The IBN presenter said stipends are prorated by FTE and limited to the employee's FTE (for example, a 0.5 FTE receives 50%). Eligibility requires employees to have been hired or in the process of being hired by March 31, 2025, and to remain employed through the pay cycle in which the stipend is paid.

Dr. Stewart, presenting the IBN recommendation, gave two examples: an employee with six years of service would receive $440 before standard deductions (a $200 flat stipend plus $240 for six years at $40 per year), and an employee with 19 years of service would receive $1,440 ($300 plus $1,140 for 19 years at $60 per year).

The board heard that the district expects to fund the stipends using MIPS Medicaid reimbursement dollars and Prop 301 (classroom site fund) dollars. Board member Bill Adams cited district enrollment declines and a rough revenue estimate: a decline of about 750 students translating to roughly $5,200,000 in reduced revenue and an estimated stipend cost of approximately $1,900,000. Adams thanked staff for identifying funding sources while noting the district's fiscal responsibilities.

Vice President Lindsay Peterson praised the IBN team's work but criticized the pace and the district's recent compensation history, saying, "I'm frustrated that it took us so long to get here, and that the board had to literally push and push and push to get this done." Peterson also said staff experienced a net pay cut year over year because of prior ESSER-funded bonuses and stipends.

Board members discussed payment timing; administration said they were looking at a pay period between pay period 6 and pay period 7 toward the end of September but had not finalized the exact pay date. The IBN presenter said the team recommended the stipends without using general maintenance and operations funds, citing declining enrollment as a funding constraint.

A motion to approve the IBN recommendation passed with three votes in favor and one opposed. The motion was moved by Governing Board President Kyle Clayton and seconded (second not identified in the public record). The board did not record individual roll-call votes in the transcript excerpt; the meeting record shows a tally of three in favor and one opposed.

The decision concludes a multi-meeting IBN process on stipends. Several board members expressed hope to continue finding additional funds for staff compensation and asked that the IBN process ensure broader representative engagement going forward.

The board then moved on to a discussion of next steps for the district's permanent superintendent search.