Ottawa Elementary to continue perfect attendance incentive program for staff

The Ottawa Elementary School District Board intends to continue its perfect attendance incentive program for staff following a recent review.

First introduced last year, this program offers bonuses funded from the district’s education budget to staff members who achieve perfect attendance for an entire quarter, with each bonus amounting to $300.

Board member Maribeth Manigold said in order to qualify for the bonus under this program, it means being present every scheduled workday without taking any sick leave or bereavement time.

Manigold said this program was implemented with the hope staff members would miss less work.

Last year, the program had participation from several staff members, although two unions, the teachers’ union and the paraprofessionals’ union, chose not to participate.

Manigold said the board remains optimistic about the potential of the program and decided to reintroduce it with hopes of achieving full participation and providing every staff member the opportunity to benefit from the incentive bonuses.

Susan Curtis, paraprofessionals’ union president, said when the program was presented to unions last year, there was no room for negotiation and that is what led to the decision not to participate.

Curtis said the unions wanted to ask for bereavement days to be left out of the perfect attendance.

“The only thing that we were disappointed with was there being no room for negotiation when it comes to bereavement time,” Curtis said. “I just feel that shouldn’t be held against people because it’s out of their control.”

Curtis said the unions will present the program to their membership in August and are hopeful to have a decision by the next board meeting on Aug. 20.