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Board approves state one-time bonus: $800 full-time, $500 part-time recommended
Summary
The board unanimously approved administration’s recommendation to distribute a state-provided one-time bonus using $800 for full-time employees and $500 for part-time employees, to be covered largely through existing balances and attrition.
New Kent County School Board voted unanimously Sept. 9 to accept the superintendent’s recommendation for distributing a state one-time lump-sum payment intended for retention.
Finance director Miss Morgheim told the board the division received $3,381,167 from the state to fund a one-time bonus tied to Standards of Quality (SOQ) instructional-support funding. The administration recommended an $800 payment for full-time employees and $500 for part-time employees. Morgheim said that allocation would leave the district about $14,000 under the exact state payment, and that school officials are comfortable funding the difference through anticipated savings from attrition.
“Mister chair, board members, doctor Nichols, in June 2025, we did receive a payment from the state of $3,381,167 … We came up with the structure of $800 per full time employee and $500 for part time that allowed us to be within $14,000 under $15,000 of that state payment,” Morgheim said.
Eligibility and administration: Morgheim said eligible recipients are employees who were contracted in the prior year and returned to a contracted position this year; brand-new hires are not eligible. The board clarified the payment is a one-time distribution tied to state funding and not an ongoing salary increase. Morgheim and board members discussed that employees must be in good standing to receive the payment.
Board action: Miss Dombrowski moved approval and Mister Reimer seconded. The board voted unanimously to approve the recommended bonus distribution. Several board members requested the administration communicate clearly to staff that the payment is a one-time, state-funded bonus and not an expectation for future years.
Next steps: Morgheim said payroll and human-resources staff will confirm eligibility lists and timelines and execute payments. The administration also said it will consider, at a later date, alternative uses for similar one-time funding streams, including targeted merit recognition programs, but affirmed the board's chosen distribution plan for this payment cycle.
