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<p><strong>From staff reports</strong></p>
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<p>The Beaufort County Board of Education tonight approved the authorization of Superintendent Frank Rodriguez to pay a one-time $1,000 bonus to current full-time active employees who have worked a minimum of 120 days during the 2020-21 school year, as well as a lump-sum step increase to all eligible employees.</p>
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<p>“The employee bonus is to acknowledge the hard work of our teachers, classified support staff, and administrators during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Rodriguez said in a release. “Everyone stepped up to the challenge, for which I am extremely thankful.”</p>
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<p>Bonus funds will be distributed to employees on May 14, 2021.</p>
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<p>Last month, Gov. Henry McMaster approved House Resolution H3609 which restored salary step increases that were frozen in the state budget due to the reduction in state revenues associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.</p>
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<p>“For each position that is eligible for the step increase for the 2020-2021 School Year, each school district shall provide a one-time, lump-sum payment of the entire step increase due to the employee, including any amounts in arrears, by June 15, 2021, or the school district may utilize its current payroll system to pay the step increase as long as the first payment retroactively includes all previous payments that would have been due the eligible employee.”</p>
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<p>According to the resolution, “A position is eligible for the step increase if that position was fulfilling the requirements of their School Year 2020-2021 contract as of March 1, 2021.”</p>
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<p>The resolution also identifies mandated certified and professional positions eligible for the step increase. However, the Beaufort County Board of Education also approved the step increase for classified and administrative staff. Retroactive step-increase payments will be distributed in a lump-sum to employees on June 4, 2021.</p>
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<p>Together, the one-time bonus and lump-sum step increases will total over $5.7 million to be paid from savings in the District’s current year General Fund operating budget.</p>
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