Jerry Levengood, the director of schools in Rhea County, Tenn.DAYTON, Tenn. — Rhea County school cafeteria employees will be paid for five work days missed because of weather this winter, school board members decided.
School Director Jerry Levengood said late last week that the request came from food service Director Sally Lane on behalf of workers who are paid hourly.
“They don’t get paid when we don’t have school. We have 10 days built in (for weather-related school closings), and we’ve taken them now,” he said.
But board Chairman Dale Harris asked why cafeteria workers should be paid for missed work when teacher aides are not. And board member Bill Davault asked about custodians.
Levengood responded that full-time aides are salaried, so their pay is not affected. Custodians, he said, “have a certain number of hours they can work, so if they cannot work during the year, they can work in the summer.”