Think back to your days in school. You probably remember the teachers from whom you learned the most about history or math or music or some other subject, and you are no doubt grateful to them.
Well, today, many Hamilton County teachers go the extra mile to create good academic opportunities for local schoolchildren. Some teachers even pay for materials out of their own pockets. That’s devotion. We wish there were plenty of money to give our best teachers the generous compensation they deserve.
But money is limited, particularly in the middle of an economic crisis. Many people are jobless. Some have lost their homes to foreclosure. Some are not sure how they will provide even the basics for their families.
So unfortunately, this is not a good time for the school board to be considering across-the-board bonuses of $400 or $500 for school system workers. The more than $2 million in bonuses would be paid from local and federal funds. A vote on the bonuses may take place next Thursday.
What makes the issue troubling is that it is acknowledged that paying for the bonuses could cause the elimination of some school system positions at the end of this school year. That can be delayed at least another year if money is not spent on bonuses now. Isn’t it better to save jobs than to fund one-time bonuses?
We wish extra money could be provided responsibly to reward good employees, but this isn’t the time. Board member Rhonda Thurman summed up the situation: “I know they [school workers] haven’t had a raise in several years, but there are many people in Hamilton County who haven’t had a job in several years,” she said in a Times Free Press report.
The board would be wiser to protect school system positions than to pay across-the-board bonuses.