SPS boosts 'early notice' incentive in effort to keep staff working in up to 150 temp jobs

Claudette Riley, Springfield News-Leader
Updated ·4 min read
The Springfield school board voted Tuesday to approve a higher-than-usual incentive for employees who notify the district by Nov. 30 of plans to retire or resign at the end of the 2023-24 year.
The Springfield school board voted Tuesday to approve a higher-than-usual incentive for employees who notify the district by Nov. 30 of plans to retire or resign at the end of the 2023-24 year.

Springfield Public Schools took an unusual step Tuesday aimed at retaining as many employees as possible once the funding source for up to 150 positions runs dry July 1.

District officials asked the school board for permission to offer an "early notification" incentive of $1,500 to employees who notify the district by Nov. 30 of their plans to resign or retire at the end of the 2023-24 year.

Travis Shaw, deputy superintendent of operations, said the incentive will give the district a more accurate picture of turnover earlier in the school year.

He said whenever possible the district wants to offer the open jobs to employees who are currently working in jobs where funding will soon end.

"We want to know as early as possible given the number of positions that we know we won't be able to continue to fund," he said.

Federal pandemic relief funds called Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, or ESSER, end this fiscal year.

Superintendent Grenita Lathan opted to use federal pandemic relief funds for temporary positions. The money for up to 150 of those jobs will dry up July 1.
Superintendent Grenita Lathan opted to use federal pandemic relief funds for temporary positions. The money for up to 150 of those jobs will dry up July 1.

Superintendent Grenita Lathan and her team opted to spend a significant portion of the funding on classroom and support positions to address student academic and behavior needs.

"We are coming to the end of those three years of the ESSER dollars," she said during a meeting Wednesday. "We will have to eliminate positions and right-size our district as it relates to staffing."

The district is still evaluating how many of the temporary positions — which were funded by federal pandemic relief aid — will continue and be paid for out of the regular operating budget.

Each school has at least two of the temporary positions and many of the individuals in those roles work directly with students in the classroom.

Shaw said to shift the temporary employees into positions paid for out of day-to-day operating funds, it must first know how much turnover to expect.

Shaw said in any given year the district experiences a turnover of 200 or more employees.

Travis Shaw
Travis Shaw

The district has offered smaller incentive amounts, with later deadlines, for at least eight years.

In meetings, Lathan said employees hired with ESSER funds were told the positions were temporary.

Principals were required to conduct a "needs assessment" with staff input to determine where the ESSER-funded positions would be used.

The most requested positions included teachers, behavior support staff and school-community liaisons. Here is an overview of the staffing allocation:

  • One teacher intern for each school that also fills in as a substitute as needed;

  • One additional position for each elementary;

  • Two additional positions for each middle, K-8 and high school;

  • Additional support positions working at the building or district level.

The board voted 7-0 to pay the higher incentive amount this year for employees who give notice by Nov. 30. Exiting staff will receive the extra $1,500 as part of their final check.

To be eligible, an employee has to work a minimum of one full year by the time they resign or retire.

Board policy GCPB states the incentive is not available to retirees of SPS who return to work, part-time workers and staff who resign while on a leave of absence.

Under that policy, employees under contract receive the following incentives by notifying the district of their plan to retire or resign by the following dates: $1,000 by Jan. 5; $750 by Feb. 5; and $500 by March 5.

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Employees not under contract are eligible for the tiered incentive amounts but the deadlines to give notice during a typical year vary based on number of hours worked.

A September update to the board from the superintendent, obtained by the News-Leader through a Sunshine Law request, showed the number of educators and administrators who received an early incentive payment in the past eight years:

  • 2022-23: 138 − 126 educators, 12 administrators;

  • 2021-22: 135 − 130 educators, 5 administrators;

  • 2020-21: 75 − 72 educators, 3 administrators;

  • 2019-20: 109 − 102 educators, 7 administrators;

  • 2018-19: 99 − 93 educators, 6 administrators;

  • 2017-18: 96 − 90 educators, 6 administrators;

  • 2016-17: 78 − 76 educators, 2 administrators;

  • 2015-16: 98 − 96 educators, 2 administrators.

Claudette Riley covers education for the News-Leader. Email tips and story ideas to criley@news-leader.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: SPS bumps 'early notice' incentive for exiting employees up to $1,500