An executive order from Gov. Kevin Stitt on Thursday ensures public schools will continue to pay support staff.
A news release from the governor’s office said school districts were unsure whether they were constitutionally allowed to continue paying support staff while school buildings are closed for COVID-19. The governor’s order clarifies public schools are to maintain contracts for the nearly 41,000 support employees in the state.
“It is important to me that our local school boards have the authority to fulfill support staff contracts and pay their employees while their buildings are closed,” Stitt said in a statement.
The order waives any statutory or rule-based limitations on these employees accumulating or using paid leave for the rest of the fiscal year.
State schools Superintendent Joy Hofmeister had been seeking a legislative solution for support staff pay, but those efforts were cut short when the Legislature stopped meeting as the coronavirus spread widely in Oklahoma.
“This remedy was urgently needed. I thank Gov. Stitt for taking this action to ensure certainty for the cafeteria workers, custodians, bus drivers, teachers’ assistants and so many others whose work is critical to our schools,” Hofmeister said in a statement. “This executive order helps bring a measure of comfort and stability to these valued workers and their families and ensures our focus remains on public health and instruction through distance learning during this unprecedented crisis.”
Salaries for teachers and administrators are maintained during breaks and school closures, according to state law. The Oklahoma State Department of Education has urged school districts to grant support staff extra paid leave to cover the extension added to spring break this year.
The Oklahoma State Board of Education initially voted to extend spring break until April 6 to give state officials more time to decide how to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. The board decided on March 25 to keep school buildings closed for the rest of the academic year and instructed schools to implement distance learning.
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