KDE, school districts offering incentives
Oct. 28—The Daviess County and Owensboro Independent school systems will be participating in the Kentucky Department of Education's incentive program for employees who receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
KDE announced it would be using up to $8.8 million in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds to provide reimbursements to districts that "have rewarded and acknowledged the time, energy and effort staff members took to get vaccinated."
The incentive program allows for all full- and part-time employees of public school systems to be eligible for the one-time payment of $100, after they have produced documentation to prove they've been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Employees who receive full vaccination status by Dec. 1 are eligible for the funds.
According to KDE, there is enough funding to reimburse districts for approximately 88,000 local school district staff.
Commissioner of Education Jason E. Glass said he and other state educational leaders hope this incentive will encourage people to become vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to protect themselves, their students and colleagues.
"Getting people vaccinated is one of the main ways we're going to be able to get out of this pandemic and get back into our classrooms as usual," he said.
Jared Revlett, OPS district spokesman, said at least 80% of district staff will receive the incentive.
He said that this is just another opportunity for school systems in Kentucky to encourage individuals to get vaccinated.
"It's not a requirement, but the extra $100 bucks is nice," he said.
Of the 1,700 employees in the DCPS system, 981 have been vaccinated, according to Sara Harley, DCPS director of finance.
Districts will pay their staff members and then be reimbursed in full by KDE through the program. Districts have also been "strongly encouraged" to consider additional funds for employees, but that is not required, according to KDE.
Owensboro Public Schools and Daviess County Public Schools leaders have committed to the $100 incentive program for each fully-vaccinated staff member. Both school systems also recently provided bonuses for their employees for their continued hard work throughout the pandemic.
That supplemental "COVID-19 pay" will be distributed in two, one-time payments — one for this semester and one for next semester.
OPS will be giving $1,000 to all 879 contracted full-time and part-time employees. DCPS has 1,700 contract employees who will receive the payments, with $750 going toward classified staff members with a contract of four hours or more per day, while contract classified staff working less than four hours a day will receive $375.
Funding for the bonuses also came out of ESSER funds.
Bobbie Hayse, bhayse@messenger-inquirer.com, 270-691-7315
