CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Two Corpus Christi ISD trustees took to Facebook live Wednesday night to explain their reasoning for delaying the payments.
During their board meeting this week, trustees considered giving all district employees a 2-percent stipend with a minimum payout of $500 for those at the lower end of the pay scale.
That money would come from $4.6 million in excess funds left over from the previous school year. School board members Marty Bell, Alice Upshaw Hawkins, Jaime Arredondo, and Tony Diaz voted to reconsider the payments at the next meeting on November 9.
Bell and Upshaw had said they wanted to see teachers getting a larger portion of the money and that's what led to the delay.
“The last thing I want anyone to think is that we have diminished one group over the other, and we are seeking to take money from one group and give it to the other,” said Upshaw Hawkins.
“What my whole perspective was, we have an opportunity given the situation with our teachers, to take a look at doing more for our teachers, that's the reason why I brought that forward, let’s take another look at it,” said Bell.
Their decision was backed by Dr. Nancy Vera who heads up the local chapter of the American Federation of Teachers.
Upshaw Hawkins says since the meeting, she has asked the school Superintendent Dr. Roland Hernandez to speed up the process of providing other options for dividing up that extra money.
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