The upcoming fiscal year budget for Warren County Public Schools (WCPS) received unanimous approval from the Warren County School Board during its Wednesday, June 15 work session.

Board members also compromised on a plan to offer division-wide employee bonuses and voted 4-1 to nix them for the 90 WCPS employees who resigned their positions in May.

Both School Board actions still must be approved by the Warren County Board of Supervisors, which is slated to consider the items at its June 28 meeting.

The WCPS employee bonuses have received a lot of attention recently.

The School Board at its May 18 work session unanimously voted to give all full-time employees (as of May 31) a one-time net bonus of $1,500 and all part-time employees a one-time net bonus of $750 to acknowledge their hard work and efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. The money to pay for the bonuses would come from the board’s fiscal year (FY) 2021-2022 budget using unspent funds left over from unfilled positions, mid-year turnover, new employees entering on a lower pay scale, etc.

Because the School Board is categorically funded, a motion was made at its May 18 work session to request that the Board of Supervisors (BOS) transfer funds between categories to allow payment of the bonuses to all employees — including administrators, teachers, instructional assistants, nurses, bus drivers, and others.

But when the School Board took its request to the Supervisors at the June 7 BOS meeting, the request to transfer the funds was tabled and the School Board was asked to return to the June 14 BOS work session.

Warren County School Board Chair Kristen Pence (at podium) on June 14 discusses the proposed WCPS budget, and bonuses with the Warren County Board of Supervisors. Behind her (seated left to right) are School Board members Antoinette Funk, Melanie Salins, and Ralph Rinaldi; WCPS Superintendent Christopher Ballenger; and WCPS Finance Director Robert Ballentine. Photo by Roger Bianchini

During that BOS work session, School Board Chair Kristen Pence again asked the BOS to approve its request for the transfer of funds to allow the WCPS employee bonuses to happen.
“As a School Board, we felt that everyone who showed up during the 2021-22 school year should be recognized and acknowledged for essentially doing the work of all of the positions that were not filled during that time because the work still had to get done,” Pence told the BOS.

But the BOS wasn’t convinced.

Several supervisors, for instance, questioned why WCPS employees who had resigned at the end of the current school year should receive a bonus.

“I’m concerned about rewarding people who resigned,” BOS Vice Chair Delores Oates said during the supervisors’ June 14 meeting. “That is a problem. Would it not make more sense to perhaps rethink how this money is being used?”

Oates suggested, for example, that by not giving a bonus to the WCPS employees who resigned, instead that money could go toward sign-on bonuses to incentivize new employees. “We want to be prudent with taxpayer dollars and we want to be smart about this,” she said.

Supervisor Vicky Cook agreed that the bonuses should be limited to those WCPS employees who are staying with the school division for the upcoming school year because it “could help them want to stay longer.”

Cook also wasn’t thrilled about the idea to give a bonus to WCPS staff making more than $100,000 a year; neither was Supervisor Walter Mabe.

BOS member Walter Mabe (left) listens to WCPS Superintendent Christopher Ballenger (at podium) explain bonus plans. Photo by Roger Bianchini

Pence said that while she appreciated the BOS being fiscally responsible, she said it’s also her duty to stand up for bonuses being given to all WCPS employees, including school administrators, who also had to step up during extraordinary circumstances during the pandemic.

“I understand they make a higher salary to begin with, but our purpose is to recognize the additional work they also had to perform,” Pence said.

“No offense Ms. Pence but that’s what they get paid for,” remarked Mabe.

“And that is your opinion, Mr. Mabe,” Pence responded.

BOS Chair Cheryl Cullers agreed that the WCPS employees who picked up the slack during the pandemic should get a bonus, including IAs, teachers in the classroom, and bus drivers. “But I don’t agree that anyone over a certain amount should get the bonuses — there’s gotta be a ceiling on everything.” Cullers noted that when she worked for WCPS she “never got a bonus.”

Cullers also said that Warren County taxpayers would have a hard time accepting these bonuses during inflation and rising gas prices.

School Board adjusts bonuses
Following that BOS meeting, the School Board at its June 15 work session discussed what transpired and decided to compromise.

Pence and School Board members Andrea Lo, Antoinette Funk, and Melanie Salins voted to exclude any employee who has resigned from WCPS and will not be employed with the school division for the FY 2023 school year from receiving the one-time bonus and that the savings generated will be requested to be re-appropriated by the BOS for a renovation project at E. Wilson Morrison Elementary School. Employees with a retirement date after May 31 will remain eligible for this bonus.

School Board Vice-Chair Ralph Rinaldi was the lone opposer in the 4-1 vote, saying all WCPS employees deserved a bonus, though he agreed with his colleagues who worried that if they didn’t heed BOS concerns, then no one working for WCPS would get a bonus.

“Following the [June 15 School Board] work session, we as a board felt we needed to show willingness to compromise in hopes of saving the bonuses for our well-deserving employees,” Pence wrote the Royal Examiner in an email on Friday. “With reluctance expressed by all 5 board members, the motion to amend our May 18 vote to exclude those who resigned from the bonus was passed 4-1.”

Salins, who also wrote an email to the Royal Examiner, said it became evident that the BOS would not be approving the bonuses as the School Board’s request was originally written.

“I understand their need to balance not only the needs of the school system but also the needs of the County taxpayers. For this reason, our board amended our request, and eliminated bonuses for the 90 staff members who resigned,” wrote Salins. “Those employees retiring after years of loyal service will still be included in the bonus.”

WCPS Superintendent Christopher Ballenger told the Royal Examiner that 27 retirees will receive bonuses if the BOS approves the funds transfer. And he said he supports the School Board’s action to adjust the bonuses.

“They recognize the struggles that all staff members experienced this year and they want to continue to support them for educating the students of Warren County Public Schools,” said Ballenger.

The School Board’s vote does not guarantee the bonuses will happen; its request to transfer funds will be revisited by the BOS at its June 28 meeting.

School Board passes FY23 proposed budget
Of the School Board’s action items on Wednesday, Pence said she considered the discussion on the proposed fiscal year (FY) 2022-2023 WCPS budget the most important aspect.

According to the WCPS final proposed budget worksheet, the school division’s total expenditures with the salary increase is $71,108,401. Pence said some of the proposed budget highlights include:

• New WCPS positions: one English Language teacher; two elementary school art teachers; two elementary school counselors; a division-wide director of communications; two high school library assistants; two division-wide math coaches; one technology integration coach; one board-certified behavior analyst; a full-time career coach at the Blue Ridge Technical Center and one BRTC instructional assistant (IA); one Pathways and Connections IA; and two groundskeepers.
• A 5 percent salary increase inclusive of experience step.
• A $1,000 employee bonus and salary scale adjustments (Grade 12 Maintenance Journeyman Scale; Grade 13 Maintenance Scale; Grade 18 Bus Driver Scale).
• Dual enrollment tuition support for students.

“This covers a small piece of what the FY23 budget includes, but I hope it is easy to see why this is so important,” Pence wrote in her email. “This budget will allow us to make amazing positive strides for all of the students and families in Warren County Public Schools.”

The proposed FY23 budget was unanimously adopted as amended and the School Board will request BOS approval at the supervisors’ June 28 meeting.

Ballenger on Friday said he appreciated this board’s work on finishing out this fiscal year’s budget while working on next year’s budget.

“All five board members have been very proactive in supporting the School Board’s initiatives,” he said. “They are all keeping the lines of communication open as discussions occur over both budgets with the Board of Supervisors.

“I believe it is important for both boards to continue to work together,” added Ballenger. “I truly appreciate my board’s leadership as we are navigating through both budget years.”

Among other actions taken by the School Board on June 15, members voted 5-0 to approve a contract award of $32,249 to Hercules Fencing, which will install approximately 600 linear feet of additional 6-feet-high metal fencing with drive gates for the playground area at E. Wilson Morrison Elementary School.

Due to safety concerns with after-hours public use and vehicular traffic during normal school hours, the School Board previously approved the installation of the same fencing and driveway gates for the hard surface play area directly behind the school and between the vehicle travel lanes. This work was accomplished during the summer of 2021.

WCPS Maintenance Director Greg Livesay told the board that additional fencing and driveway gates are now required to finish the entire installation, which will completely enclose the playground area between Chester Street and the remainder of the travel lane along with the fencing for the back side of the modular classrooms. This will prevent nearby business vehicles from parking on school property, he said.

Work session discussion items
The School Board also discussed several other items during its work session, including a grading policy change and student cell phone use.

“The biggest change and what will require the biggest adjustment from students is the discontinuation of the 50 percent grading policy,” explained Pence. “Meaning, students will no longer receive a 50 percent for work not performed. Failure to submit work will now result in a zero.”

During the June 15 work session, School Board members discussed the need to get its message out about the significant changes to the WCPS grading policies for the 2022-2023 school year, Pence said.

“We will have the updates visible on the website; at back-to-school nights; there will be emails and phone calls to contact parents; Dr. Ballenger also mentioned trying to do a Town Talk with the Royal Examiner,” she said.

Ballenger pointed out that the new grading policy is a culmination of his work with three committees over the spring semester “and this is the policy they came up with.”

“We have also received feedback from families and there is overwhelming support for the new grading policy,” the superintendent said. “We know that there will be some challenges next year for students and teachers. As Dr. Pence mentioned; we will be working on getting the message out.”

Ballenger said the new grading policy is a regulation that does not require School Board approval, only that the board is notified of the regulation.

WCPS also discussed proposed updates on cell phone usage during the school day. Pence said this will be an update to the Student Code of Conduct. The draft section on the Use of Personally Owned Electronic Devices states that student use of such devices during instructional time is prohibited.

“All students are expected to keep their personally owned electronic device secure at all times and not loan it to others,” the draft policy states. “During instructional time (class time) such devices are to be kept out of sight and turned off.”

Similarly, due to confidentiality, privacy, and legal concerns, a WCPS student may not use his/her personally owned electronic device to take photographs or record audio or video in school, during the school day, or on a school bus, the draft says, adding: “The use of technology is a privilege, not a right. This privilege can be revoked.”

The use of such devices, however, may be granted in an emergency situation as determined by a supervising adult, who also may grant their use outside of instructional time, such as during lunchtime and in between classes, according to the draft policy.

Regarding disciplinary consequences, the draft states: “Violation of this policy or of the administrative regulation will result in disciplinary measures. First action: Verbal reminder/warning.

Second action: Teacher calls home to parent. Third action: student referral to administration. A school administrator may take temporary possession of a personally owned electronic device if a student is attempting to use the device during any time when such usage is prohibited or if the use of the device violates any of the previously outlined inappropriate uses, disrupts the learning environment, creates safety concerns, violates the confidentiality or privacy of others, or otherwise contradicts this policy.”

The School Board also heard a presentation from WCPS Food Services and is discussing a plan to continue free meals for all WCPS students during the 2022-2023 school year.

“This would be a one-year trial and board members are excited at the possibility of offering this to Warren County Public Schools families,” Pence said.

Ballenger said this is “a great service to our community and takes away a burden on families. We want to make sure that we remove any barriers for our students so that learning can occur.”

Pence noted in her email that the number of free summer lunches currently being handed out on Wednesdays continues to increase. “The number of participants increased from last week to this week by a significant number and [WCPS] is preparing 900 meal bags for next Wednesday,” she said. “The meal bags are available to anyone age 1-18 in Warren County. We strongly encourage all families to participate.”

The School Board will hold a special FY22 closeout meeting on June 29 at 5:30 p.m. The location is to be determined.