The Caddo Parish School Board voted Tuesday to provide teachers and staff members across the district with a back-to-school supplement in September as a thank you for their efforts and a successful start to the school year.
The one-time supplement will provide each eligible employee with $1,000. Proposed by Board Members Dottie Bell and Dr. Terence Vinson, the back-to-school check will come as a welcomed surprise for the district’s nearly 5,000 employees.
“The teachers, principals, cafeteria workers, custodians and everyone else in this district wworkshard to make sure our sweet babies have what they need and I’m proud we were able to come together and thank them for all they do,” Bell said. “Every employee is important and I’m grateful we got this done for them.”
The supplement is estimated to cost $6.2 million and is made possible by higher than estimated sales tax revenue.
“Our longstanding commitment to the community has been to provide academic opportunity from a fiscally responsible school system,” said Superintendent Dr. T. Lamar Goree. “We have worked diligently to be good stewards of the taxpayer dollar and in that, we have outperformed our budget while investing in academic recovery and acceleration.”
To qualify for the back-to-school supplement, an employee be actively employed by the district on Sept. 1 and must be eligible to participate in the district’s benefits program.
“Every individual profession comes from the hands and minds of teachers,” said Dr. Vinson. “Beyond COVID and all our employees have faced in recent years, teachers have long been on the front lines of shaping all other professions. It is an honor to recognize our teachers and staff for all they do.”
Tuesday’s Board vote is the latest in a series of actions by the Board to support employees while also ensuring the district remains competitive in recruiting and retaining the highest quality employees. Last school year the Board invested more than $18 million in incentive payments to teachers and staff to recognize and reward their efforts. Earlier this month the Board also increased the daily rate of pay for substitute teachers, secretaries and office clerks.
“Our priority as a Board is to provide the best education for every child and to do so we must have the highest quality employees across our parish,” said Board President Tony Nations. “The supplement approved today and the incentives we have provided are a part of our commitment to our employees to show our appreciation and celebrate all they do for students.”