Hillsboro R-3 School District employees received stipends before Thanksgiving, along with the chance to spread their gratitude around.
The district’s Board of Education agreed to give a $550 stipend to each full-time employee to be paid before the Thanksgiving break with one stipulation – that they agree to “pay it forward” by writing five thank-you cards.
Full-time employees who joined the district in September received a $250 stipend, as did part-time workers who are required to be at work daily. In all, 390 full-time and 13 part-time employees received stipends.
Each could choose the people they sent cards to – co-workers, parents or others in the community.
Superintendent Jon Isaacson said participation was 100 percent, and he had more than 3,000 cards to distribute around the district.
“Everybody in the district did it,” he said. “People called our office and said that they needed more cards, and I’ve been told that 75 of them were to people outside the district.”
Isaacson said the stipends cost the district $225,000, which was available because of the district’s prudent investment of its reserve funds and because of financial market conditions.
“The higher interest rates are giving us more in reserves,” board member Jon Schuessler said.
Isaacson said the administration and board members believed the district’s good fortune should be shared with employees.
“Our teachers and staff work so hard for our students, and at the end of the (calendar) year, we had some additional funds we did not anticipate, so we felt it was appropriate to recognize the good work of our staff with stipends,” he said.
Isaacson said usually a stipend would be awarded for participating in additional training or a similar activity but he and the board decided against that.
“With the holidays coming up, we wanted to give them a little help, but we didn’t want to put that (attending training sessions) on them,” he said. “But we did feel it was important that our employees take a little time to tell others thank you as well. This just gave them a reason to think about what they’re grateful for. We all know that sometimes little things make the biggest impact.”
The school board voted 6-0 Nov. 16 to award the stipends. Board member Rob Kruse was absent from that meeting.