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Board approves $161,700 to extend $2,000 bonus to additional professional staff
Summary
Monroe County Board approved a $161,700.40 payment to cover $2,000 bonuses for principals, assistant principals, psychologists, instructional coaches and other covered staff that the state did not include in its bonus legislation, following debate over fund balance and budget priorities.
The Monroe County Board of Education voted to pay $161,700.40 to extend a $2,000 bonus to professional employees who were not covered by a state bonus program, including principals, assistant principals, psychologists, instructional coaches and certain day teachers and supervisors.
The director of schools told the board that the state-paid bonuses for classroom teachers will be included on the August paycheck, and the locally funded payments would be distributed to the newly covered staff at the same time. "They will on their August check," the director said when asked whether teachers had received the state $2,000 bonus.
Board members debated whether the district should absorb the additional cost. Several members warned that while $162,000 is not a large sum relative to the district's overall budget, the district is planning significant capital expenditures and drawing from fund balance. One member said the board was preparing to take $7 million from fund balance for other projects and urged caution about setting a spending precedent.
Supporters of the payment argued that certified and certified-adjacent staff who provide instructional leadership and student services should receive parity with classroom teachers when the state omitted them from its measure. The board ultimately approved the payment on a roll-call vote.
Roll-call voting recorded: Mitch Avery — No; Richard Bettis — Yes; Joe Cagle — Yes; Sharon Freeman — Yes; Mark Ingram — Yes; Freddie Kelly — Yes; Brian Kyle — Yes; John Rigel — Yes; Vaughn Shubin — Yes; Dean Williams — Yes. The motion carried.
