$1K bonus considered for St. Landry Parish school employees

Full-time St. Landry Parish School Board employees may get a $1,000 Christmas bonus this year, which is the same as they received in 2014.
The Board’s Finance Committee ended up a meeting Monday with a $1,000 bonus under the tree about 1,950 full-time employees.
Tressa Miller, finance director, has recommended a $500 holiday bonus.
The bonus issue is to go before the full board when it meets Thursday.
The finance committee also looked at a $250 bonus for about 80 part-time employees.
The bonus is proposed to come out the sales-tax-funded Employee Compensation and Benefits Fund, which had a balance of $6.5 million at the end of August.
The discussion on the bonus included references to the general state of the school system’s budget, the lack of pay raises and the drawdown of the Employee Compensation and Benefits Fund.
Mary Ellen Donatto, a School Board member from Eunice, said she encountered a school custodian who thanked for the bonus that has yet to be given.
“He was all excited because his $1,000 was coming,” she said. “He did not budget for Christmas at all because he got that $1,000 last year and was grateful that he didn’t have to make $25 or $50 a month for his Christmas.”
She added, “They know they are not getting a raise. They know we can’t afford it.”
Employees spend the bonus, she said. “They just know it is coming. I know that should happen.”
School Board member Milton Ambres used the discussion to complain the size of the Central Office staff.
“Since I’ve been on this board we’ve hired people in the Central Office, but these are people we let go,” he said.
“So you are going back to the same place you were and we are not giving anything to the people in the trenches,” he said.
Donatto said she overheard a parent during a recent meeting comment about 85 percent of the school’s $140 million budget going to salaries and benefits.
“So the general public looks at it and now you are going to give them $2.5 million more,” she said.
Kyle Boss, a Sunset area board member, said companies cut salaries in difficult times, but the school system cannot do that. “We cannot afford to give a pay raise so my motion is to give the $1,000 to all employees and the $250 to part-timers.”
Boss said school employees have not received a raise in 10 years.
Hazel Sias, an Opelousas board member, said if the board continues to give bonuses there will never be enough money for raises.
At a previous meeting, the finance director estimated the fund generates income of $200,000 to $600,000 annually.
Ambres replied, “You and I may not ever be on this board by the time this fund builds up to give a raise because if you give that raise you have to have a certain amount of funds to give a raise. And I can’t see giving a raise with this fund in the next 20 years.”
Donnie Perron, a Port Barre board member, said, “I’m not on the committee, but I agree it would be nice to give them a raise, but to be realistic we probably won’t be able to do that unless the state, if it ever comes, it will be from the state. The bonus is appreciated and it is probably the best we can do.”
Based on 1,958 full-time employees a $1,000 bonus would cost $2,516,520; a $500 bonus would cost $1,258,260; and a $250 bonus would cost $629,130. The bonus costs includes benefits.
Miller estimated a $250 bonus for part-time employees would cost about $22,000.
In the Buildings, Lands and Sites Committee, a project list for a $10 million bond issue was approved. The list includes construction of a cafeteria and two classroom buildings to replace modular buildings at Leonville Elementary; removal of modular buildings being leased throughout the district and replacing them with permanent structures; and replace leaking roofs throughout the district.
The Executive Committee approved adding a chart for evaluating the superintendent. Superintendent Edward Brown is to be evaluated in December.