Stamford School Employees To Receive COVID-19 Bonuses This Month

STAMFORD, CT — Some Stamford Public Schools staff will receive up to $500 bonuses this month as a way of saying thank you for their efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In her weekly message to the district last week, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Tamu Lucero said the bonuses, which are funded through American Rescue Plan Act funds (ARPA), will be disbursed in February.

"This acknowledgment of appreciation will never be enough to recognize how much we thank our teachers, administrators, support staff, and all the work on behalf of our students and families during this unprecedented health pandemic," Lucero said.

The district received $32 million as part of ARPA. Lucero said in December during a meeting in which the Board of Education endorsed the idea, that issuing $500 bonuses would come out to a total of $1.2 million. Lucero said $10 million is set aside for capital expenses.

Every school employee is eligible for the bonus, except Lucero, who said she won't be taking one.

There are some employees who work for the city who have already received some sort of COVID-19 stipend, Lucero said in December.

A determination will be made for each employee as to whether they would receive the extra money, she explained.

During contract negotiations in 2021, Stamford Education Association President Diane Phanos had asked Lucero for $1,500 bonuses for teachers.

After negotiations, the ask was lowered to $1,000.

"Dr. Lucero came up with the $500 amount. She felt if she was giving it to teachers, she should also give it to other unions that are under her jurisdiction," Phanos told Patch. "We felt we were the ones who brought it forth and we felt the teachers, as our colleagues in New Canaan received $1,000, that would be a good bonus for Stamford teachers also."

Phanos said teachers who were employed between March 2020 and the end of the 2021 school year will receive the bonuses this month. Those who were hired for the 2021-2022 school year will see the extra money in June.

Phanos highlighted teachers' work during unprecedented times that called for quick adjustments on the fly.

"In the middle of March, teachers thought they were leaving school for maybe two weeks when it ended up being longer than that. They had to learn how to instruct in the virtual world with very little direction from the district," Phanos said.

"Not only were teachers teaching themselves and their colleagues on how to work in the virtual world, they were teaching their students, they were teaching their students' parents all at the same time as they were providing instruction in all their content areas," she added. "Their workload became much more intensive than it had been previously."