SA approves Christmas Day pay
Due to the swift and reactive response from the staff of South Adams, repairs from the damages from the broken water pipes are moving ahead of schedule according to Superintendent Marla Clouser-Penrod. When the pipes burst on Christmas day, numerous employees left families and festivities to work at the school. At their Tuesday night meeting, the South Adams School Board made the decision to give additional compensation to these employees for the sacrifices they made to help the school.
“I’ve been in those shoes,” said School Board President Arlene Amstutz. “They gave up their family time, they gave up everything and took it to the next level. It was their jobs, and they did them well.”
The proposition from the administration was for the Board to approve one time stipend to be paid for all of the hours worked by the individuals on Christmas Day. One of the employees who was present all day on Christmas day made the request rather than being paid money, noting that he would like to have that vacation time back so that he could spend time with his family.
“We are talking about Christmas Day,” said board member Mitch Sprunger. “You only get 18 of those with your kids. It shows what kind of community we have here. The workers deserve extra compensation because the event happened on Christmas Day.”
“We were blessed that we had then to come in,” continued Clouser-Penrod. “This was so necessary for us to move forward. That’s how we were able to start school back up and that is how we are going to be able to have sectionals here.”
The Board unanimously approved the additional compensation for the employees. Additionally, it was requested and insisted upon by Board President Amstutz that the Superintendent also be granted additional compensation because of her work done that day. While she attempted to downplay her involvement on the holiday, the Board remained insistent that she receive compensation for the extra time she put in. Eventually, the Board approved the one-time stipend.
The next South Adams School Board will be Tuesday, February 14th at 6:00 p.m.