The members of the Madison School Board earlier this week acted on recommendations from the school district's health insurance committee and approved a $750,000 increase to the district's reserve balance.
Employees with the Madison Central School District will also have an insurance premium holiday in early 2021. A monthly health insurance premium that is typically deducted from paychecks will be waived. The employees should not have their paychecks deducted for health insurance on Jan. 20.
The board members set up a COVID-19 leave bank for school district employees. Mitchell Brooks, business manager, said the leave bank would assist district employees who have their leave pay related to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act and employee sick leave exhausted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The board members approved placing $20,000 in the leave bank.
The board decided to provide a COVID-19-related financial incentive to all staff members, amounting to $350 for full-time employees and $175 for part-timers. The money will come from the federal Elementary and Secondary Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund that is part of the CARES Act. The school district employees will receive the funds in MadMoney, a form of cash provided through the local Chamber of Commerce.
ESSER funds are federal money directed to school districts to support areas impacted by the disruption and closure of schools due to the pandemic.
