Committee refers 'Handle With Care' stipend proposal to policy committee after initial cost estimate
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
Board member proposed stipends for staff serving on school "Handle With Care" intervention teams; administration estimated about 126 team members and base cost near $189,000 plus roughly 20% for retirement; committee voted to refer the idea to the policy committee for detailed design and cost analysis.
A proposal to create a stipend for school staff who serve on "Handle With Care" response teams prompted discussion about program scope, frequency of activations and cost, and the committee voted to send the idea to the policy committee for further development.
Mister Piazza described the program as training for staff who intervene safely in student incidents and said the stipend should compensate faculty who put themselves at physical risk. "I'm asking to for the board to consider or the finance to consider paying a stipend for these individuals who are putting their bodies in harm's way for peace on our campuses," Piazza said.
Administration reported there are roughly 126 individuals currently on Handle With Care teams districtwide and that the teams had been activated 57 times since August. Staff provided a base cost estimate of about $189,000 for the stipend pool and said retirement-related benefit costs would add roughly 20 percent.
Because the district's salary schedule is a board policy, committee members agreed the suggestion should go to the policy committee for a formal policy review and a more precise cost and implementation plan. The motion to refer the proposal to the policy committee passed without recorded opposition.
The referral means the policy committee will examine stipend structure (for example different rates for elementary, junior high and high schools), activation frequency and a recommended funding source before the board considers any policy revision or payment.