In the wake of a school year under Covid issues, the Eureka Springs School Board voted “combat pay” for district employees at Monday night’s meeting. Supt. Bryan Pruitt recommended the bonuses, which he said will apply to all staff from bus drivers and maintenance staff to teachers.
The board approved a bonus of $15 for each day worked in the 2020-21 school year, with the exception of distance-learning days or professional development days. Substitute teachers were also eligible for the bonuses, although employees must have worked a minimum of 80 days to qualify, and only five substitute teachers met that standard.
The money to pay for the bonuses will come from an anticipated stimulus payment expected to arrive in July. The district will receive $1.7 million in the third round of stimulus payments. Pruitt said district employees “will have an opportunity to reinvest that money in the community,” which is one of the goals of the stimulus funding.
Pruitt praised the dedication of the school staff for keeping a safe campus. “We never had to pivot [to distance learning], and we kept our buildings clean,” he told the board. “I think this is a good gesture from you in response to the job everyone has done this year.” The state has already approved the expenditure, and the other two schools in the county are pursuing the same $15 bonuses.
Officers remain the same
At the outset of the meeting, the board re-elected its current slate of officers. Chris McClung will remain as president, with Al Larson as vice-president and Gayla Wolfinbarger as Secretary.
The monthly meetings will remain at 5:30 p.m. on the second Monday of the month. The board currently meets in the Middle School cafeteria, although Pruitt expressed the hope that meetings could return to the board room “when we get more comfortable with spacing.”
In other annual business, the board approved a written resolution acknowledging that board member Gayla Wolfinbarger is a part owner of the Inn of the Ozarks, and the school does some business with that organization. The board also approved changes to the student handbook, as recommended by the Arkansas School Boards Association. Pruitt said the school no longer prints the handbook except by request.