The North Little Rock School Board on Thursday approved giving employees bonuses that could reach up to $2,250 apiece.
The proposal presented to the board states that licensed and nonlicensed employees who work six- to eight-hour days will receive $2,250 bonuses. Employees who work four- to five-hour days would receive $1,687.50, and employees who work one- to three-hour days would receive $1,125. The bonuses are expected to go out by Nov. 25.
Officials said substitutes working through Willsub don't qualify for the bonuses because they aren't employees of the district.
A surplus of $3.5 million made the bonuses possible, Chief Financial Officer Brian Brown said.
Members of the school's Licensed Personnel Policy Committee requested $2,500 bonuses at the meeting, but the board denied that request, and the group subsequently accepted the proposed $2,250.
"Putting funds in the salary schedule is my real goal," Superintendent Bobby Acklin said. "I wanted to give out this bonus because the staff did the savings. They took on more projects and took on more students. I felt like what they saved for us should be for them."
The board also approved a change to the classified personnel employment policy in which all background checks of current employees will be cycled and caught up by 2024.
"Hopefully I can reassure everyone on this decision," Classified Personnel Policy Committee member Cheryl Reinhardt said. "This is the law. It's nothing they did. We will do everything we can to work with people."
Members of the board discussed for several minutes who would pay the $48.50 for each background check and how a payment plan would be set up.
"For some people $10 will put you bankruptcy," board member Rochelle Redus said about a five-month payment plan.
The board agreed to pay for the background checks upfront and then have the employees repay the amount by withholding money from 10 paychecks instead of five.
A heated moment occurred during the meeting between board members Natalie Wankum and Tracy Steele about adding air conditioning in the high school gymnasium to a grant application for lighting specialty projects at the middle school.
"I know this was your pet project to get this air conditioning," Wankum said. "Adding this to it makes me angry."
Steele said adding air conditioning wasn't only his idea and that it is needed.
"It can be health concern, " he said.
Also, Tonisha Richardson-Wiley announced that she will resign from the board in the coming months.
"I wanted to spend more time with my family," she said.
State Desk on 10/18/2019