Richmond Public Schools administrators want to reward teachers and support staff at struggling schools for showing up every day.
A $100,000 pilot program, approved by the School Board, would pay $500 bonuses to up to 200 employees who take no leave time during the upcoming school year. Money saved from paying overtime and long-term substitutes will cover its cost, says David Myers, the division’s budget guru.
The pilot will target 16 schools to which the state denied accreditation. The goal is to provide a “consistent instruction day for kids,” Myers says. The targeted schools — eight elementary, five middle, two high and the Richmond Alternative School — accounted for 11,450 full-day absences, or about 36 percent of the school system’s total during the last academic year, according to records provided to Richmond magazine in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.
Fewer than 100 of the 3,900 RPS employees achieved perfect attendance last year.
