Rogers school staff to get second bonus

ROGERS — Rogers School District employees are about to get another bonus, the second they’ve received this school year.

The Rogers School Board on Tuesday unanimously approved a $500 bonus for teachers and other certified staff members and a payment equal to about 1% of salary, up to $500, for classified staff members. The district has about 2,100 employees.

The item wasn’t listed on Tuesday’s meeting agenda. Superintendent Marlin Berry suggested the bonus toward the end of the meeting, and the board quickly moved to approve it.

The one-time payment will be distributed next month, he said.

The board previously approved the same bonus for employees in November. The second one, like the first, will cost the district about $1.1 million, according to Berry.

The district can afford the second bonus in part because of some savings in operations this year. Berry cited limitations on field trips — a result of the covid-19 pandemic — as one example.