Stafford County School Board Chairwoman Patricia Healy says she's disappointed the Board of Supervisors didn't inform the division of plans to provide bonuses to select school employees.
"I would've liked to at least had an opportunity to have some input," she said yesterday.
Supervisors narrowly passed a resolution Tuesday to use a little more than $1 million of a $6.2 million surplus for bonuses for teachers, paraprofessionals and school nurses.
The Stafford School Board will discuss the resolution at its meeting next week, but it's unclear if members will take action.
School Superintendent David Sawyer says he plans to finish his recommendations on how to distribute the money today. He said it's his understanding that the School Board isn't legally bound by the supervisors' resolution.
Eligible school employees would receive the bonuses on Feb. 1, Sawyer said. He wasn't sure how much the bonuses would be as of yesterday evening.
Healy said she "won't turn anything down" but is concerned that supervisors left out bus drivers, cafeteria workers and other division employees.
"They're all an integral part of the school system," she said. She said she's happy for those who are included in the resolution to receive extra money.
The supervisors' decision, approved by a 4-3 vote, allots $1 million for teachers, $57,000 for paraprofessionals and $15,000 for school nurses.
Supervisor Joe Brito, who goes off the board in January, put the resolution on the agenda shortly before Tuesday's meeting but voted against it because he preferred raises.
The additional money--discovered this year--resulted from an accounting error involving a transfer between the school system and county government in 2007.
School Board member Robert Belman said supervisors made an "irrational" decision. They should've waited until the county had more information on its financial outlook, he said.
Plus, he said, bonuses don't amount to much after taxes.
"I'm not real crazy about giving bonuses," Belman said. "I think we're better off giving pay raises."
Last year, the School Board approved $700 bonuses for employees at the top of the pay scale. All other full-time employees received one-time payments of $300, in addition to a 2.5 percent step increase.
School system employees did not receive cost-of-living raises or step increases this year.
Stafford Education Association President Jannette Martin said she's pleased supervisors thought of the division but doesn't like their stipulations.
She said she'd prefer that the money be evenly distributed to employees for salary increases. Bonuses are short term and don't count toward retirement, she noted.
Also, she said taxes eliminated about $400 from the $700 stipend she received last year. Martin is a special-education teacher at Falmouth and Ferry Farm elementary schools.
"The teachers I talked to today were very upset," Martin said. "And the people who wouldn't be getting anything are even more upset."
Jeff Branscome: 540/374-5402
Email: jbranscome@freelancestar.com