Members of the Dalton Board of Education voted Monday, Jan. 8, to approve a one-time, $1,000 supplement for all Dalton Public Schools (DPS) regular and contractual service employees.
“We would like to do that with our January end of month payroll,” said DPS Chief Financial Officer Theresa Perry. “It would be combined with your regular pay and we’ve looked at that from the standpoint of employee required tax contributions — and that appears to be the most advantageous to do it that way.”
The amount would be prorated for employees who work less than full time for DPS.
Gov. Brian Kemp announced that hundreds of thousands of state workers would receive the supplement last month.
“Gov. Kemp’s amended fiscal year 2024 budget submitted to the General Assembly in January will include approximately $440 million for these one-time pay supplements, including $202 million for K-12 teachers and school support staff,” a Dec. 18 press release statement reads.
DPS documents note that the district employs contractual service employees across several sectors, including Exceptional Student Services and transportation.
“The district specifically received funding from the state for 35 bus drivers and DPS has 53.5 drivers, mechanics and student transportation contractual employees assigned from First Student,” the district indicates. “The finance staff have calculated that administering the supplement with the required Federal Insurance Contribution Act (FICA for Social Security and Medicare) will be $1,270,970 to cover district employees and contractual service employees in all funds.”
The district notes that the state of Georgia is funding about 65% of the supplement cost.
“The district received state revenue of $796,711 to fund 718.80 employees and contractual service employees that includes FICA (7.65%),” documents note. “The district also received $36,601 for the prekindergarten program teachers and paraprofessionals — the district will need to use $437,658 from the general fund balance in order to pay the supplement to all regular employees and contractual service employees.”
At the same meeting, board members approved a general fund budget amendment related to the supplements.
That entailed increasing general fund expenditures by $1,223,586, nutrition fund expenditures by $74,655 and special fund expenditures by $36,601.
“This is in accordance with our policy on our annual operating budget, where our expenditures cannot exceed the total fund,” Perry said. “Once we calculate FICA and the total costs, we are covering 1,077.3 employees and contractual service employees.”
Perry said that a separate line item is included for student transportation.
“That is why we feel it is appropriate to give this supplement to all of our contract service providers, they really would administer the payroll, they will bill us and we will reimburse them,” she said.
Perry noted that the state previously approved a one-time $2,000 supplement in 2022, with Quality Basic Education (QBE) revenue increasing to cover about 80% of the total cost.
“In addition to First Student for student transportation, the district has 43 custodians through Southern Janitorial, 25.35 cafeteria personnel through Quality Staffing and 13.30 Exceptional Student Services providers with several different contractual service vendors,” DPS documents indicate. “Excel Therapy provides the greatest number of contractual service employees for the district’s Exceptional Student Services program — additionally, the district has contracts with AMN Healthcare, Allied Instructional Services, Delise Bravo Bussey, Cross Plains Community Partner and Soliant for Dalton Public Schools’ Exceptional Student Services needs.”