What you need to know
The HISD board of trustees approved the use of the remaining ESSER funds to be paid as a retention stipend for all district employees during a July 27 meeting.
The backstory
In 2020 and 2021, HISD received a total of $6.9 million in three rounds of ESSER funding to pay for COVID-19 safety measures and adapted instruction. Remaining funds must be spent by September 2024.
What they're saying
HISD Chief Financial Officer Caleb Steed said his department is still working out final figures but conservatively estimated the amount of the last ESSER-funded stipend to be about $300 per employee.
The conditions
District employees who were hired on or before Jan. 1 and returned to work for the 2023-24 school year were approved for the stipend. Contract employees—those who receive a paper check from the district via mail—do not qualify for the stipend. Full-time employees will receive the whole amount, while part-time employees will receive half.
