Wake schools will give new bonus, small raises. Will it end the bus driver walkout?
Wake County school employees demanded major pay increases as school leaders tried Tuesday to end a bus driver work stoppage that has disrupted service for thousands of students.
Chants of “our kids can’t wait” rang out from school employees rallying outside Tuesday’s Wake County school board meeting. Inside, board members hoped a $1,250 bonus, small raises and promises for more increases in compensation will address employee concerns.
“This is a first step,” said Superintendent Cathy Moore. “Our folks that work in the school system, they are tired, they are working hard. I have nothing but support for the fact that there are needs that are unmet that we need to be responsive to.
“I want this school system and this board to do as much as they are able to do.”
It’s unclear, though, whether the district’s actions will be enough to return bus service to normal and to stem the number of resignations from employees who say they’re overworked.
School leaders are hopeful that bus service will be normal Wednesday. The two-day work stoppage on Friday and Monday from so many drivers calling in sick disrupted bus service, causing some students to miss school and some parents to have to drive their children to and from school.
No classes were held Tuesday because of a pre-planned teacher workday that coincided with Election Day. A number of schools serve as polling sites.
“Nothing has been made clear to us what’s going to happen,” school board chairman Keith Sutton said in an interview about bus service on Wednesday. “We don’t have a specific message to give unfortunately.”
The bus driver protest helped highlight concerns raised by them and other school employees about low pay and having to do more this year because of staff shortages. Multiple school employees told the school board on Tuesday that the plan falls short of meeting their needs now.
“The proposed compensation plan that was sent to staff last Thursday does not demonstrate how valuable the time and work of educators across the county is,” said Aubrey DiOrio, a first-grade teacher at York Elementary School in Raleigh.
Wake NCAE demands higher pay
Wake, like other school districts in North Carolina and nationwide, is dealing with higher-than-normal shortages of teachers, teacher assistants, bus drivers and cafeteria workers. The staff shortage is causing Wake and several other school districts to add “wellness days” in November where classes are canceled so employees can get a break.
The state funds the base salaries of school employees, such as paying bus drivers $12.75 an hour. Wake supplements it to a minimum of $15 an hour. Wake also offered this year a $1,200 bonus to recruit new drivers.
But the number of vacancies for drivers and other positions continues to rise. Bus drivers are now being asked to drive up to six routes a day, double what they used to do, but with no extra pay.
Wake NCAE held the rally outside Tuesday’s school board meeting calling for a $2,000 minimum hazardous pay bonus for all staff for working through the COVID pandemic, extra compensation for extra duties and pay raises for all district employees.
Paula Wright, a special education instructional assistant, told the board that she only makes $13.61 an hour after eight years. She said after 20 years she’d only make $15.05 an hour.
“We deserve better,” Wright told the board. “We need to be paid more than a Walmart employee, more than a Costco employee. We need to fix our problem so our staff is not having to work two and three jobs.”
Bonus, small raises proposed
Wake’s plan doesn’t go as far as what Wake NCAE wants. The district plans to use some of its existing local dollars to provide:
▪ A one-time recognition and retention bonus of $1,250 to be paid in the November paycheck to all employees who currently receive benefits. Part-time staff would receive a prorated bonus.
Wake is taking $25.8 million from its savings account to cover the bonuses.
▪ An increase to bring all employees to a minimum of $13 an hour. This would be retroactive to July 1 and be included in the December paycheck.
▪ A 1% increase in the local supplement paid to certified staff retroactive to July 1. This increase, which would be paid in the December paycheck, would go to people paid on the teacher and student services personnel scales.
The board unanimously approved the plan Tuesday evening.
Board member Karen Carter questioned how Tuesday’s raises wouldn’t cover support staff who are making more than $13 an hour. AJ Muttillo, assistant superintendent for human resources, said those employees will be addressed later but that for now they’ll get the $1,250 bonus.
Moore said that the goal is to still raise the minimum salary to $15 an hour. She said it will be a long game and not a short one to raise employee pay.
‘Token raises’ for workers
Board member Jim Martin said they’re only giving “token raises.” For instance, teachers are saying they’d only get $3 more per week from the raise.
Martin urged the district to consider using federal COVID relief dollars, which are one-time funds, to provide ongoing salary increases. He said they can play “hardball” and dare the state and county commissioners not to replace the funding when the COVID dollars are gone.
Instead, administrators will present in December a plan to use the COVID dollars to provide bonuses as part of a multi-step plan to improve compensation. Moore said that the federal government limits how much of the relief money can be used for bonuses because the funding is supposed to address student learning loss.
School leaders said they need state help to provide meaningful salary increases. State Republican legislative leaders are negotiating a budget deal with Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.
“We were trying to do what we could on our own,” said Sutton, the board chairman. “We certainly need the state’s help to increase that further.”
But several school employees told the board that they can’t afford to wait, citing the many resignations that have occurred and could take place if pay isn’t increased more rapidly. Some employees said they’re considering not returning after the end of the school year.
“Time is a luxury that we do not have,” said Stacy Eleczko, an instructional coach at East Garner Middle School. “I personally have spoken to other teachers who are waiting on a resignation decision based on what happens at this meeting. If we wait, it will be too little, too late.”
This story was originally published November 2, 2021 at 5:39 PM with the headline "Wake schools will give new bonus, small raises. Will it end the bus driver walkout?."
