The Cobb County School Board has voted to pay all salaried and hourly district employees while schools are closed due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The board, which met Thursday via teleconference, approved Superintendent Chris Ragsdale’s request to use $3.2 million in general fund reserves to pay the employees through the end of May.
The approval allows the district to pay employees who are normally compensated by the district using the After School Program, School Nutrition and Defined Active Temporary Employees funds.
Cobb school has been closed since March 16 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Revenue collected for these funds has stopped since the closure, so the employees can not be paid unless the school board approves the proposal, Ragsdale said.
These employees include after school program workers, lunch room monitors and substitute teachers who have worked over the past three months.
“I’m thankful that our board recognizes the dedication of our staff who are actively teaching and supporting students while schools are closed,” Ragsdale said. “Our offices and classrooms may not look the same, but our mission remains unchanged: One Team, One Goal: Student Success.”
The board’s teleconference meeting was live-streamed on the district’s website to follow guidelines by federal health officials to limit public gatherings to no more than 10 people. All board members were present during the teleconference. You can view the meeting video here.
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