LARAMIE, Wyo. (February 16, 2022) – At the February 9, 2022, Board of Trustees Regular Meeting, the Board voted to approve premium payments to Albany County School District #1 (ACSD#1) personnel for the 2021-22 school year, as well as a pay increase for substitutes on high-demand days.

The premium payments of $1,178 for full-time employees and $589 for part-time employees will be paid in May of 2022 as incentive compensation to follow through with the efficient execution of the COVID-19 Mitigation Plan for in-person learning.

The District will use the following definitions to determine full-time and part-time employees who are eligible for the premium payments:

• Employees must have been employed with the district on or before January 1, 2022.
• Employees must remain employed through at least April 30, 2022.
• Employees who average 20 hours or more per week from January 1, 2022 through April 30, 2022 will be considered full-time.
• Employees who average 19.9 hours or fewer per week from January 1, 2022 through April 30, 2022 will be considered part-time.

Substitutes do not qualify for the premium payments, however the Board of Trustees approved a pay increase ($15 for a full day and $7.50 for a half day) for out-of-building substitutes who fill in for a certified teacher on Fridays and/or pre-identified Mondays or Tuesdays. The pay increase does not apply to anyone working as a long-term (30+ consecutive days for the same teacher) substitute. The Mondays and Tuesdays that have been approved for the pay increase are:

• Tuesday, February 22, 2022
• Monday, March 21, 2022
• Monday, April 18, 2022
• Tuesday, May 31, 2022

District employees who have been hired after January 1, 2022 should contact their supervisor for additional information.

In consultation with the Wyoming Department of Health and IRS guidance, the premium payments will be distributed through payroll as part of the May 20, 2022 paycheck. The payment amounts are designed to be as close as possible to $1,000 and $500 following taxes.

ACSD#1 will use American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) funds to finance the premium payments. In THIS MEMO, Superintendent Dr. Jubal Yennie outlines how the ARP ESSER funds can be used to make these premium payments to staff.

A task force met twice during January of 2022 to respond to employee requests and questions regarding the use of ARP ESSER funds. The task force considered several ideas and finally proposed the premium payments. The task force was comprised of certified and classified staff, administrative personnel, and board members.