Beaufort Co. schools may OK staff COVID bonus — but money wouldn’t go out until April
Beaufort County School District moved one step closer to a COVID hazard bonus for employees on Thursday — but staff likely won’t see the money until April.
The school board’s finance committee, which was tasked in January with evaluating a possible COVID bonus, unanimously recommended that the full school board approve a one-time bonus of $1,000 to full-time employees, $500 to part-time employees who work between three and four days per week and $250 to part-time employees who work between one and two days per week.
Contract employees, which include cafeteria staff, custodians and maintenance workers, will not receive the bonus.
However, the committee added a caveat: the “final decision on the actual amount and the timing of the payments will be made” after the district collects its funding from Beaufort County’s delayed tax bills at the end of March.
Tax bills are normally due by Jan. 15 but were delayed because of an ongoing legal battle between the Beaufort County Council and Auditor Jim Beckert.
The district relies on Beaufort County Council to approve its $250 million-plus annual budget every year and to provide the tax money to pay for it. The taxes, with a rate set by County Auditor Jim Beckert, represent approximately $150 million of the budget.
Tonya Crosby, the district’s chief financial officer, said Thursday that South Carolina’s Department of Education has told school districts that they cannot fund one-time bonuses for employees through federal CARES Act funding, which is designed to offset the costs of adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Instead, Crosby said, the estimated $3.1 million cost of the bonuses will have to come from the district’s general fund, which is supplemented by the county’s tax bills.
In January, the district approved borrowing up to $100 million to “keep the lights on” as it waits for the tax revenue to come in, with Crosby noting that the district’s accounts would be left with a $100 million deficit in February without any borrowing or revenue.
On Thursday, Crosby said that as of Jan. 31, the district has collected 40.6% of its tax revenue for this fiscal year from pre-paid tax bills. Normally, the district has collected 94% of its tax revenue by that point, she said.
“If we say we’re going to do it now, we’re telling the public we have slush money, we can push something through that costs three million dollars,” finance committee chairperson Richard Geier said. “Well, the fact is, we don’t.”
The proposed bonuses still need to be approved by the full school board. Its next meeting is Tuesday at 6 p.m.