ELKINS -- School Board members Tuesday unanimously approved a 4% bonus for all certified and classified staff members.
The one-time bonus will cost the district about $318,000 and will be paid from operating funds, according to Superintendent Jeremy Mangrum.
The district had some money available in the operating fund, and Mangrum and the board wanted to give back to employees for their hard work, he said. Staff members have faced some challenges this year, especially during the first three quarters when they were dealing with the covid-19 pandemic along with covid restrictions, he said.
"We like to reward our employees whenever we have the opportunity," Mangrum said.
The bonus checks will be handed out to the district's full- and part-time employees before May 31, he said. A 4% bonus would equal $1,450 for a first-year teacher, he said. Calculating the average bonus for classified staff members is a little more complicated because there are more than 20 pay scales in the district, he said.
In April, the board approved salary schedules for the upcoming school year that included a $1,500 raise to the base pay for certified staff and a 4% raise to the base salary of classified employees, Mangrum said. The boost in pay will increase the starting salary for a first-year teacher with a bachelor's degree to $37,750, he said.
The pay raises will cost the district an estimated $383,000 a year.
It's the fourth year in a row Elkins has increased the base salaries for all classified and certified staff, Mangrum said.
The School District has 167 employees and 1,280 students.