OVER 1,000 Public School System employees have received their bonuses under the retention incentive program, Education Commissioner Alfred B. Ada told the Board of Education on Tuesday.
The payout cost $5 million and was taken from the $32 million in federal Education Stabilization Fund provided to PSS.
The amount of the retention bonus, which is part of Project Restart, represents 10% of an employee’s salary.
Board of Education Vice Chairman Herman Atalig, for his part, said some employees who are not supposed to get the bonus received it, and those who were supposed to receive a bonus did not.
He also noted that those who have resigned were given half the amount of the retention bonus.
Ada said five former employees served for six months into the school year before they decided to resign, and that was why they were given half of the bonus amount.
Ada noted that the board’s Fiscal, Personnel and Administration Committee unanimously approved to give him the discretion to decide who gets the retention incentive pay.
But he said the payout was a collaborative work between him and the PSS management team.
He said he and the management team did their best to come up with a payout that was “the fairest and best way possible.”
He asked the board to revisit the policy, clarify the program and put it in writing so it can be used as a guide in the future.
BOE Chairman Andrew Orsini acknowledged the education commissioner’s discretion that was granted to him by the FPA committee.
But he added that the retention incentive program is supposed to reward employees who continue to serve the school system.
He said its goal is to give existing personnel the motivation to continue serving PSS, and not to provide a retention bonus to those who have left the school system.
Teacher representative Phyllis M. Ain moved to continue the discussion in an executive or closed-door session and send the issue back to the FPA committee.
But Orsini tabled the discussion on the matter “for further review” by the board.
