LPSS employees to get one-time $500 stipend

LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) -- Eligible Lafayette Parish School System employees will get a one-time $500 stipend in mid-September, according to the Lafayette Parish School Board.

The one-time payment -- called the "COVID-19 Related Recovery, Recruitment and Retention Stipend" -- was proposed by Superintendent Francis Touchet Jr. to compensate employees for their effort in keeping schools running since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“LPSS employees at every level work tirelessly to ensure that our students receive a quality education in a safe environment that offers opportunities unmatched in the Acadiana area. They strive every day to create a culture that encourages academic excellence and growth," he said.

To be eligible for the one-time payment, employees must be actively employed on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. Employees who were not employed that day due to long-term disability, assault pay and/or worker's compensation will not be eligible. Substitute employees, tutors, contract employees and temporary employees are also not eligible, according to the school system.

Questions or issues about eligibility should be directed to the superintendent.

The stipend will be paid to eligible employees via direct deposit, separate from their regular pay.

The stipend will be pulled from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) II fund, the school system said.

According to a statement from the superintendent, the Louisiana Department of Education established guidelines in how the ESSER II funding could be used.

"According to those guidelines, the stipends must related 'to preventing, preparing for, and responding to Coronavirus.' The LPSS feels that the purposes for the stipend listed above are consistent with the LDOE guidelines," the superintendent's statement read.

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