Staff writer
COVID-19 ISSUES â Adapting to issues raised by the coronavirus were a recurring subject at Mondayâs Brooke County school board meeting.
WELLSBURG — The Brooke County Board of Education Monday approved a monetary incentive for staff to announce their retirements earlier and discussed several issues spurred by the pandemic.
The board agreed to pay $500 to full-time staff members who submit written notification by March 1 of their intention to retire after the current school year. The offer doesn’t include those in state-funded positions who already were eligible for the incentive through the state.
Superintendent Jeffrey Crook said the move is “the equitable thing to do” while helping to alleviate decisions related to staff cuts. Deidra Parr, the school district’s treasurer, said knowing staff who will be retiring may lower the number of staff facing termination and reduce the need for paid attorneys who represent the board at hearings on the proposed cuts.