MANASSAS, Va. — Following suit with other school districts in northern Virginia, Manassas City Public School's (MCPS) board voted unanimously last week to give staff a one-time COVID bonus.
Similar to those in Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) and Manassas Park City Schools (MPCS), part-time employees with the district will receive a single payment of $500, and the district will prorate $1,600 to any full-time employee who did not work the full year, as discussed in a June 22 board meeting.
The finance executive director of the Manassas school system, Andy Hawkins, said the school system will primarily fund the bonuses from procured savings acquired from a primarily virtual teaching platform throughout the last year, including reduced costs from building utilities and bussing transportation.
Hawkins added that he is currently investigating alongside the district's auditor whether federal funding from the CARES Act or American Rescue Plan could also help in funding the bonuses.
At the meeting, vice-chair Suzanne Seaberg said the bonus is just one way for the school system to show educators their appreciation for their dedication after a difficult year of pandemic-style teaching.
“All our staff has had to work extra hard and in different ways and done many creative things, and I think that this adjustment will help cover that in some way,” she said. “We value our employees. They’re the biggest part of our budget, and we need to make sure that our employees feel valued.”
The idea of celebrating educators'' commitment throughout the pandemic has gained traction across the country, with several state legislatures debating whether to issue state-wide bonuses to all public teachers, according to the education news site Chalkbeat.
However, not all school districts have rewarded teachers equally, including Loudon County Public Schools which issued teachers a "challenge coin" for their dedication while distributing $1.6 million for raises among school system administrators and nurses, according to the community-owned news site Loudon Now.
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