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The Suffolk School Board unanimously approved an additional $1,528,662 of state funding to be added to the 2024-2025 fiscal year school board budget for teacher bonuses. This will bring the current year’s budget to $250,117,589. Full-time positions will receive a $1,000 bonus and part-time positions will receive $500 by June 30, 2025. 

If there are any extra funds at the end of the current fiscal year, Superintendent John B. Gordon III and his staff recommend an additional $723,500 be added to the bonus making the total bonus amount $2,252,162.

Board Member DawnMarie Brittingham, Ed. D. asked if the division could cover the federal tax portion of the bonus. After tax is taken out, the bonus for full-time employees would be $616, and $308 for part-time employees. 

Gordon said the division has done this in the past through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund that was allotted by the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The division no longer has that grant.

Chief Financial Officer Wendy Forsman added the cost to cover the federal taxes would be “significantly higher” than the proposed $723,500 already planned to be added to the bonus money.

When the tax portion was covered, Forsman said it cost the division $1,548 a person, or around $3.5 million in total. The division has already estimated there is $9.7 million worth of unfunded needs for the current fiscal year. 

Board Member Tyron Riddick agreed that teachers should be getting more money in their pockets after a bonus.

He requested the Superintendent and his staff look at the possibility of providing free lunch for teachers as an additional compensation.

“If we can’t do the financial piece, can we look at, in our ’25-’26 school year, to have no expenses for our staff to eat at school,” he said. “600 and something odd dollars while other districts are doing way more, I understand the funding looks different, is disheartening to teachers.” 

Forsman explained there would be some challenges to provide teachers with free lunch because, in the budget, money would have to be transferred from the operating fund to the food and nutritional services fund. The Board and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) would have to approve this.

She estimated it could cost close to $1 million to provide free lunch everyday for all SPS teachers.

There are also other ways the division is trying to give teachers some money back, Forsman added. Teachers are able to carry four personal days instead of three, and those who have qualified in the Wellness Program will be receiving either a $250 or $500 health insurance rebate. 

Gordon said if covering the federal tax portion of the bonus is something the Board wants to do, they will have to take that into consideration when prioritizing the other 19 unfunded needs for this year.

A list of all these needs and an estimate of how much money is needed to fulfill them was presented to the Board during their meeting. Board Members were each asked to prioritize the list so if any extra funds become available, they can decide how to spend the money.  

In addition to the extra SPS funding of the teacher bonus, the following have been identified as priorities for any extra funds at the end of the year: new copiers, Oakland courtyard drainage, John F. Kennedy Middle School furniture, interior repaint of King’s Fork High School, replacement of 75 teacher desks, replacing old security cameras, replacing old and broken furniture, repairing sinkholes at eight schools.