The La Joya Independent School District board approved using $10.5 million in federal funds for retention stipends for employees at their meeting Wednesday.
The district’s 4,200 employees will receive $2,500 apiece during the next school year, half in August and half in December.
Funds for the stipends will come out of the district’s ESSER III allocation, Superintendent Gisela Saenz told the board.
“And we have studied it and identified additional funds that we can use to pay our employees a retention stipend for the 22-23 school year,” she said.
The board discussed potential stipends at a workshop last month, much of the conversation focusing on remaining financially competitive with other area schools.
Retention stipends have become relatively commonplace since the pandemic began.
PSJA, for instance, paid out a $3,000 retention stipend in August 2021. McAllen trustees approved accelerating the payout of $2,000 in stipends this February.
