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Linda Hogue, center, receives her check from ACS Superintendent Dr. Wayne Vickers during the special check handout day. Hogue is set to retire at the end of the 2020-21 school year. (Reporter photo/Keith McCoy)

By DONNAMY STEELE | Special to the Reporter

ALABASTER – After a long and trying semester, the Alabaster City Schools Board of Education decided to thank their teachers by awarding them an extraordinary compensation checks on Friday, Nov. 20.

Superintendent Dr. Wayne Vickers wanted to award the teachers early to show appreciation for their hard work amid the challenges they have faced over the last year.

“It’s been a very difficult year with the pandemic and all of our employees have done an outstanding job,” Vickers said. “We decided to move up and do it Friday because the governor declared last week to be Thank Alabama Teachers Week. The board wanted to thank our teachers, so we provided that compensation.”

All certified employees received a $750 check and each classified employee received a $375 check.

The total cost for the checks rounded up to $488,000 this year, Vickers said.

Since the BOE began awarding teachers an extraordinary compensation checks six years ago, they have spent more than $2.7 million on this annual project.

“When someone sees $375 and $750, they don’t put into terms that it is for all of our employees,” Vickers said. “As a school district, the total amount of compensation over the years is $2.7 million. It’s a specific commitment the board makes each year, and we have been doing this since the 2014-15 school year. We started out with awarding $400 and $200. This is the highest we’ve given as a school district.”

Vickers said he is proud of all ACS employees who have worked diligently to provide a safe and effective education for students despite the obstacles they have faced this year.

“We are just so proud of our employees at ACS and the board wanted to make sure that we were able to provide an extraordinary compensation check for all of our employees and their dedication to serving our community,” Vickers said. “We are proud of their efforts to keep our schools open, safe and clean.

“This is an extraordinary year, so we were very pleased to do extraordinary compensation for our employees. They are the best in the state, if not the nation, and they deserve it.”

The extraordinary compensation project was approved at the last board meeting. BOE president Adam Moseley expressed his gratitude for ACS employees, stating that this year’s checks mean more than ever before.

“I’m so proud that we’ve been able to do this the last several years, especially this year with everything going on and everything our teachers and staff are having to do to keep the doors open and keep things safe for our kids,” Moseley said. “It was extra special this year.”

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