Redmond School District teachers will receive a $1,500 “pandemic-related” bonus check this fall under the terms of a new two-year collective bargaining agreement that’s expected to be ratified by the school board Wednesday.
The bonus will be paid to current employees in September. Those who retired this year will get the money this month.
The roughly 400-member Redmond Education Association teachers’ union ratified the new CBA last week.
Redmond School District Superintendent Charan Cline said the bonus was an extra “thank you” to a certified staff that had to navigate a school year like none other.
“This one-time, non-precedent setting, payment is in recognition of the long hours that teachers put into rewriting their curriculum, learning new technology, and connecting with students and families in new ways,” Cline said. “Each one of our instructors worked overtime to provide the best instruction that they were able in Comprehensive Distance Learning.”
Under the new contract, teachers also will get a 2.5% pay raise and 0.5% base salary adjustment this coming school year and a 2.5% pay raise in 2022-23.
Pandemic-related bonuses for teachers are not uncommon across the country.
According to EdWeek Magazine, Utah paid teachers an additional $1,500 this spring while North Carolina’s governor included a $2,000 bonus for teachers in his annual budget proposal.
The Bend Education Association teachers’ union is currently negotiating with the school district on its next contract.
It’s unclear if any pandemic-related bonuses are included in any proposal.
In Crook County, the school board approved a “Distinguished Service Award” to all staff in May.
“Superintendent Dr. Sara Johnson and the school board believed that our school district employees deserved recognition for overcoming the obstacles of COVID-19 and working together to provide in-person learning for K-12 students and prevent learning loss,” said spokesman Jason Carr.
Each employee received a one-time incentive payment equal to 5% of their current salary, with a cap of $1,600.
The checks were issued in May.
