CMS staff who work on-site during COVID-19 closure to receive bonus pay

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools employees who work essential, on-site jobs while schools are closed during the coronavirus outbreak will receive time-and-a-half pay beginning Monday.

The incentive pay program will cost roughly $1.3 million, said chief financial officer Sheila Shirley. The school board approved the program Wednesday night.

The majority of positions eligible for the bonus are part of the district’s meal service program, which provides food to families during the week while schools are closed.

“We want to make sure those who choose to work have an incentive,” Superintendent Earnest Winston said.

The incentive program would run from April 13 through May 15, the last day of the state-mandated school closures, but Winston said that could change if the closures are extended.

State and local policies have granted emergency leave to employees who can’t work remotely, allowing them to continue to be paid during the closure if they could not work.

The district wanted to offer incentive pay after it had to consider closing meal service sites due to shortages in staffing as employees elected to take leave, said Christine Pejot, chief human resources officer.

CMS has been serving about 37,000 meals a day at nearly 70 meal sites since the school closures began last month. The meals are available to any children under the age of 18, regardless of their school enrollment.

The bonus affects about 900 positions, Pejot said. Employees who elected to take leave can change their status and come back to work, but she said if too many people are interested in returning to work, the jobs may be given on a first-come, first-served basis.

CMS employees on the front lines of the crisis “deserve an incredible amount of kudos,” Pejot said.

Roughly $800,000 of the incentive will be funded by the $2.4 million in COVID-19 relief that CMS received from the state, which can be used for four categories, including cleaning and meal services. The remaining funding for other positions will come from district funds, Shirley said.

The majority of employees who qualify will be hourly staff members, but salaried staff who have to report to work onsite will be eligible for a $500 stipend.