Published: September 09, 2009 03:56 pm      

Board approves one-time stipend, raises longevity pay

School districts across the state are using federal stimulus money to fund teacher raises this fall. At Monday’s meeting, Alvarado ISD’s board of trustees approved a similar plan, but with a twist.

Instead of disseminating the funds throughout the year in the teachers regular paycheck, the district will give a $1,178 “stimulus stipend” to teachers, full-time counselors, registered nurses, professional librarians and full-time speech pathologists.

“All of our educators deserve this and more but with the uncertainty in school funding, we need to tread cautiously,” said Chester Juroska, Alvarado ISD superintendent. “Perhaps when the dust settles we will have a more complete picture of the district’s financial future and we can do more.”

The district will also receive stimulus money next year, but instead of a stimulus stipend the money will be put into each teacher’s regular salary.

Each teacher will also receive a step that was approved by the board at its August meeting.

The step will be added into each teacher’s regular salary beginning in September.

Alvarado ISD Human Resource Director Mary Ann Wood and Larry McGough, Alvarado ISD assistant superintendent of finance, worked together to find a way to make sure teachers were not the only employees to receive a stimulus stipend.

Federal stimulus funds and tightening the reins on spending in the spring allowed Wood and McGough to find enough money to give all other district employees a stimulus stipend that is equal to 2.3 percent of the employee’s base salary.

The stimulus checks will be sent to each employee at the end of September in the form of a paper check.

All employees will also receive longevity pay for the fifth straight year.

In the past, teachers were given $100 for each year they had worked in the district.

To have longevity pay count toward a teacher’s retirement benefits, the district will pay based on the current year.

An employee in his or her fourth year in the district would have received $300 in the past, but will receive $400 this year.

Raises and longevity pay were figured into the district’s $39.7 million budget that was approved by the board of trustees on Monday.

The percentage of money used on instruction increased from 31.15 percent to more than 40.5 percent.