Alief ISD board OKs pay for employees who worked during January winter storm

The Alief ISD Board of Trustees approved a resolution on Feb. 4 authorizing premium pay for employees who came in to prepare and repair district facilities during the winter storm of January 2025 and authorizing regular pay for employees who were scheduled to work on days missed because of the storm.

The resolution, introduced as agenda item 5.2 and supported by district staff, is intended to cover custodial and maintenance staff who worked through a deep freeze and subsequent thaw to check heaters, respond to leaks and perform repairs. "Maintenance staff and custodians came in to check buildings and to do last minute preparations, make sure all the heaters were on in the buildings and running 24/7," district staff said during the meeting.

District staff told trustees they reviewed the last 10 years of emergency closures and found recurring events requiring facility repairs; they said preparation reduced damage this year compared with prior storms. Assistant superintendent for support services Vincent Lewis was cited as directing custodial and maintenance crews during the event. The resolution gives the superintendent discretion to pay a premium rate to employees who worked during the event and to pay employees for regularly scheduled hours lost "due to no fault of their own." Staff said the district's instructional minutes already exceed the TEA minimum and that approving the resolution would avoid missed payrolls.

Trustee Spurlock moved approval and Trustee Truong seconded. The board recorded the vote as "6 4 0 against, and 0 abstention" and the item passed.

The board president and trustees thanked staff for coming in during the emergency and said the resolution reflects the district's longstanding practice of compensating employees after emergency closures.