Churchill County School District employees from the 2021-22 school year are receiving a one-time 5% allocation of their base salary as appreciation for their hard work and dedication.
All employees who finished the year with the district received a one-time allocation. For licensed employees in the Churchill County Education Association agreement, 3% of that was part of their newly-approved agreement with the district.
Over the last two years, the school district has received Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds for COVID-19 relief and has also adhered to reduced spending due to lower student enrollment and uncertainty with the state's new funding model. Consequently, this created some limited one-time funding that the district has prioritized for staff wages.
The school district’s leadership is committed to providing additional compensation to staff whenever it is financially possible to do so. Last year, the district gave all returning employees a one-time payment of $1,500 and all new employees and many substitutes a one-time payment of $1,000 through Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations ESSER II funds.
Stakeholder input is an important piece of how the district uses funds and after seeing results from a recent ThoughtExchange, it was apparent that stakeholders wanted to see any possible funding go to the staff. Superintendent Summer Stephens and the trustees want to provide the best compensation possible with available funds.
“This is just a small token of our appreciation for everything our staff does, and we recognize that their needs go beyond one-time payments,” Stephens said. “We value our staff, their hard work, and their dedication to our district.”
Kaitlin Ritchie is public information officer with the Churchill County School District.
