About 50 district maintenance workers put in between 5,000 to 7,500 hours to take buildings off the electric grid and drain them of water and then reconnect utilities once the weather cleared so they could reopen, Deputy Superintendent for Business and Operations Todd Fouche told Community Impact Newspaper on Feb. 25.
Board policy allows the district to compensate employees with premium time and a half pay due to the official disaster declaration given by state and federal officials, according to a district policy memo. Premium pay was applied for the weeks of Feb. 15 and Feb. 22.
“[We are] just really really indebted to just these guys and the hours they put in to make sure we were up and running as well as we are. So, thank you,” Fouche said at the March 1 board meeting.
Schools opened gradually after the storms. All campuses were open to in-person learning on March 1.
The board also voted not penalize district employees who could not work due to February’s inclement weather, which included extreme cold, snow, ice and widespread power outages. Schools were closed from Feb. 15-19. Paychecks distributed in late February show employees were fully compensated regardless of whether they were able to work. The board's March 1 vote makes the district's decision on payments official.
