Vermilion Parish: Full-time school employees will get 13th check

Despite knowing that the Vermilion Parish School Board may have to spend $2.1 million on teacher salaries next year because of the governor’s unfunded mandate, and considering a possible rise in health insurance premiums after July, plus, the school district is expected to finish this school year in a deficit, the School Board unanimously voted 5-0 to grant all full-time school employees a 13th check (an extra end of the month check).
Every full-time employee will receive a flat $1,200 by the end of July. It is expected to cost the school district between $1.6 million and $2 million.
Voting for the 13th check were board members Dale Stelly, Nick Touchet, Gregg Meaux, David Dupuis, and Charlotte Detraz. The five were the only board members at the meeting.
Missing from the board meeting were four board members: Jason Roy, Kevin Meyers, Kibbie Pillette and Chris Hebert.
Prior to the vote, Superintendent Tommy Byler told the five school board members that he had spoken with the school district’s chief financial officer, Eric Johnson, about the possibility of the district being able to afford a 13th check.
This is the second time in six years that the school board has voted to give every employee a 13th check.
“I am going to be transparent,” said Byler to the five school board members. “When we come in with our final budget, we will be in a deficit, the same way we were three years ago when we offered a 13th check. We get our general fund balance up every three years, and we are in a comfortable position to offer a 13th check.”
Byler explained to the five school board members who were present that over the last five years, the school district has cut 70 positions, making it lean.
The public school district has lost 1,200 students to Vermilion Charter School Academy over the last three years.
“We are making those adjustments, and so I want the school board to know this (13 check) is going to add to the deficit,” Byler explained.