School committee directs payroll to cover hourly staff pay after multi‑day blizzard

The School Committee voted March 3 to direct administration to authorize payroll processing for hourly wage employees affected by the recent blizzard so those staff would not face severely reduced paychecks.

Committee members and administrators said the combination of the February vacation and the week of emergency closures fell across different pay periods and could lead to substantially reduced pay for hourly ESP staff (food‑service workers, teacher assistants, bus monitors and similar hourly employees). Finance staff supported providing pay for at least the two state‑of‑emergency days now and making up required service time through professional development or other documented work so employees retain service credits for retirement.

A finance official told the committee, "I would support the recommendation for the hourly folks for at least the 2 days, the state of emergency that we compensate them for those days, because it's beyond their control." The committee then voted to direct payroll to issue compensation to hourly employees for the emergency period, with the expectation that make‑up time will be arranged and documented as required by contract and retirement rules.

The administration will identify employees who worked voluntarily, those who were paid for overtime, and any staff who chose leave so payroll adjustments are equitable. The motion applies to hourly wage employees district‑wide; the administration said payroll staff is prepared to implement the change and will return with any follow‑up if additional committee approval is needed.

Next steps: payroll will process compensatory payments for affected hourly employees; administration will coordinate with unions and HR to schedule make‑up time (professional development, after‑school hours or other documented options) needed to maintain service credit.