Indianapolis Public Schools has unveiled a plan it says will provide short-term and long-term support for staff. The district says the plan is designed to support staff retention during the pandemic and beyond, as well as support their mental health and wellbeing.
IPS is investing $15 million in emergency relief funds for elementary and secondary schools.
The district says it will provide new school support bonuses to all IPS staff “for their continued work during the COVID-19 pandemic to accelerate student learning and build back stronger for the future needs of the school.” ‘ips’.
All staff members are expected to receive an additional $1,000 in the fall 2022 semester, $1,500 in the spring of 2023, and $1,000 in the fall of 2023. The bonuses are in addition to the salary increase approved by IPS last fall.
IPS is also partnering with Talkspace, a New York-based online and mobile therapy platform, to provide free mental health support to staff and their families. The district says this is the first time such services have been made available in its history.
In addition, the district is launching a “flexible teacher schedule” initiative. Beginning with a pilot in select schools this fall, IPS says the initiative will provide remote work opportunities and flexible teaching roles, as opposed to the traditional bell-to-bell schedule.
“We are learning from the lessons of the pandemic and the determination not to settle for the status quo, as an opportunity to aggressively rethink how school districts can support staff in their work,” said the director of the talent acquisition of IPS, Alex Moseman, in a news. Release.
IPS says it plans to fully implement the teacher flextime initiative in fall 2023.
Comments are closed.