Christmas cheer bumps into budget reality

Evidently there is not as much Christmas cheer to spread around as last year at the St. Landry Parish School Board.
Full-time employees may receive a $500 Christmas stipend this year, if the School Board follows a recommendation by its financial director, Tressa Miller.
The recommendation for Christmas bonus came during a Finance Committee meeting Monday.
But the committee put its recommendation on hold until it learned more about the cost of giving a bonsues.
Board member Hazel Sias questioned whether the school system should give any bonuses to employees.
“Instead of bonuses couldn’t we hold on to that money and see about giving our people a raise because a raise would benefit them more than a $1,000 bonus,” Sias said.
Last year the School Board gave 1,878 full-time employees a bonus of $1,000, which with benefits paid cost $2,516,520.
Tressa Miller, finance director, said a $500 bonus to all full-time employees would cost about $1,258,260.
Miller also recommended the bonus be paid out of a $5.5 million sales tax fund that is separate from the school system’s general fund.
Miller said the sales tax fund generates $200,000 to $600,000 annually.
Board member Randy Wagley said, “.. eventually we will not be able to give any Christmas bonuses unless things change.”
Superintendent Edward Brown explained why his administration is recommending a bonus.
“You ever hear the word ‘morale?’ We use a bonus at Christmas as a morale booster and that $1,000 was a great booster,” he said. “We already are below some of the other parishes in terms of salary. We can’t afford to given a recurring raise, so we do the the next best thing.
“You’ve heard me say this before. We do the best thing we can until we can do better,” Brown said.
A third option given for a bonus was for $250, which would cost about $629,130.
There are an estimated 80 part-time employees that would be eligible for a bonus, according to the information given board members.
Last year, the part-timers were given a $150 Christmas bonus that cost the district about $13,200.
The bonus options given were $200 costing a total of $17.600; $250, costing a total of $22,000; and $300, costing a total of $26,400.
The full board may make decision on the Christmas bonus at its November meeting.