SMCISD board approves booster incentive

San Marcos Consolidated ISD will soon offer a $100 incentive for eligible district employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster. 

The SMCISD Board of Trustees approved the incentive by a 4-3 vote during Monday’s regular meeting.

“Similar to all the other [COVID-19 vaccine incentives], if approved tonight by a majority, it would be opt-in,” Trustee Miguel Arredondo said on Monday. “We’re not asking if you want to be in the program. You have to show proof. But if I don’t turn it in, I don’t turn it in. If I don’t show proof, I don’t show proof. We’re not asking folks, ‘Have you received the first shot? Or why haven’t you received the first shot? Or why haven’t you received the second shot?'”

The $100 incentive would cost the district approximately $120,000 if all district staff and teachers were to receive a COVID-19 vaccine booster. 

“But I don’t think either vaccine incentive that we’ve previously done has reached 100% staff participation,” Arredondo said. “At most it would be $120,000. I don’t think we’re going to reach that threshold.” 

Not all district employees are vaccinated against COVID-19, however. Approximately 83% of 1,296 district employees have been vaccinated, according to Andrew Fernandez, SMCISD executive director of communications and community relations. 

Previously, the board approved a one-time $250 COVID-19 vaccination incentive in July. District employees who were eligible to receive the vaccine but couldn't do so because of health conditions or religious beliefs were also able to receive the stipend. The COVID-19 vaccination stipend was estimated to cost SMCISD approximately $300,000, according to the district.

The booster incentive was ultimately approved 4-3 with trustees Kathy Hansen, Margie Villalpando and Mari Salmi voting no. 

In other business, the trustees approved a $1,000 employee retention payment for all SMCISD employees through the 2021-22 academic year. The stipend is expected to be paid on or about Dec. 17 and on May 25, 2022 to those employees who were employed on Dec. 13 and remain employed through the conclusion of the 2021-22 school year as well as employees who resign during the academic year for health-related reasons. The district will pay employees $1,000 with a payment of $500 in December and a second payment of $500 on May 25.

The $1,000 retention payment will be funded through Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds. ESSER funding was originally established as a portion of the CARES Act passed in March 2020, and ESSER II and ESSER III funding was later created. 

The $1,000 retention payment will cost the district approximately $1.2 million. 

“We’re gonna fund a portion with ESSER II and a portion with ESSER III,” said Mike Doyle, SMCISD director of state and federal programs. “Yes, we did have to reconfigure the budgets … I was able to find [the funds] through coming through where we had balances, if you will. Also, anticipating where we may have abilities or flexibilities that we could put toward this retention payment. The retention payment also goes along the lines with ESSER I, II and III in terms of the grant intent to support the recovery from the pandemic, knowing that staffing and retaining staff is challenging for all districts at this point in time.” 

The board unanimously approved the retention incentive.