As Lewis-Palmer School District 38 leadership continues on the path of valuing staff, its Board of Education unanimously passed an action to disburse a one-time payment from available reserves that will impact most regular staff.
Following much conversation and consideration, all members of the Board agreed to a recommendation they sought from Chief Business Officer Brett Ridgway, which he credited to the newly formed Staff Collaboration Committee (SCC).
Comprised of 30 members across all employee groups, the SCC created a recommendation following a request from the Board in November, ultimately recommending all staff receive a ratcheting one-time payment which goes up for those staff who did not receive a hiring or hard-to-fill bonus to start the year.
According to Ridgway, all staff, excluding administrators, will receive a one-time payment equivalent to 1.75% of the employee’s salary. In addition, all employees excluding those who received a retention or hiring bonus and the district’s seven-member Executive Leadership Team, will receive a flat $500. The action has a maximum payout of $1,500.
“Designing this program had a few variables to consider … basically, you could do a flat dollar, you could do a flat percentage of annual base pay, or you could do a mix,” Ridgway said, noting the committee did want to take into consideration the 189 employees who received either a hiring or hard-to-fill retention bonus. “This proposal is what came out of the committee.”
Putting the one-time action in context, Ridgway said an employee making roughly $40,000 will receive $1,200.
“We want to thank and uplift the Staff Collaboration Committee, which workshopped the recommendation to the Board of Education, and helped give birth to this idea; which we feel equitably impacts staff who both did, and did not, receive hiring or retention bonuses,” said KC Somers, D38 Superintendent.
The action will cost the district approximately $1 million in one-time available use dollars, which will be paid out of available reserves (tap here to view Ridgway’s presentation to the Board).
“While we understand this does not address the ongoing compensation gap among our peer districts, we believe this still represents an intentional investment in our people, and demonstrates our appreciation of, and continued commitment to valuing, our people,” Somers said.