What you need to know
Trustees passed $270 bonuses for full-time employees, and $135 for part-time employees hired on or before Nov. 30, 2022, and remain employed after Dec. 31, 2023. While previous retention stipends were funded with Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief moneys, HISD Chief Financial Officer Caleb Steed said this round of incentives are a budgeted expense and will be paid from the district's general fund. Steed said the bonuses would be paid by Dec. 19, at the latest.
What they're saying
Some trustees expressed disappointment that the district could not offer larger incentives to its employees but pointed out that this was what the district could realistically provide given that it passed a deficit budget for this year. Steed said the district offered around $500 in incentives for full-time employees in 2022.
"I love that we're bringing this idea," trustee Felix Chavez said. "It's something that a lot of our staff has gotten used to. It's a goodwill decision to show our staff that we are trying to do the best we can, even with a budget deficit."
