Clay County board approves one-time prorated staff bonus, budget amendments

The Clay County School Board voted April 11 to approve a set of budget amendments and a one-time, prorated bonus for regular district employees, citing an unexpected increase in state TSA funding that produced one-time dollars.

District staff told the board the state auditor asked the district to amend the beginning fund balance for July 1, 2023, from estimates to actuals; the board approved that amendment as an audit housekeeping item. Trustees then approved General Purpose School Budget Amendment No. 2, which the administration said reflected the extra TSA funding and allowed one-time allocations while reducing other charges.

Board members voted to authorize a one-time bonus for regular employees. The district said the bonus will be prorated for part-time staff and will include bus drivers, custodians and cafeteria workers. During discussion district staff member Ashley stated, "it was 204" when referring to the total cost figure with benefits included; the transcript did not specify units for that figure. Officials emphasized the board intended the payment as a single, nonrecurring token of appreciation rather than a permanent salary increase.

The board also approved a small procurement: a quoted purchase of Lenovo 100e G3 Chromebooks (packet noted 12 units) from the district's preferred vendor, and it approved a student trip request for Heritage Train School's Junior Beta Club to attend nationals in Savannah, Georgia, June 9–13, 2024.

Motions on the minutes, agenda, the beginning-balance amendment, the one-time bonus, budget amendment No. 2 and the trip request were all put before the board and recorded as carried during the meeting. Specific vote tallies were not recorded in the transcript beyond the chair calling for "all in favor" and announcing the motions passed.

Next steps: staff will process the change orders and payroll adjustments needed to implement the bonus and will finalize the budget documents for audit filings.