County School System employees will get a one-time mitigation

allotment in their paychecks next month.

Thursday, the Baldwin County Board of Education voted to issue a

one-time, $500 allotment to the employees in November in an effort

to supplement a 2.25-percent loss of take-home pay that comes as a

result of the state legislature’s recent passing of a mandatory

retirement contribution of the same amount for school-system

employees.

superintendent to janitor?” asked District 6 Board Representative

Robert Callahan Jr. during Thursday’s meeting.

Superintendent Dr. Alan Lee replied. “But I will decline

mine.”

without input from absentee District 4 Board Representative Norman

Moore and from a vote against it from Callahan who said he believes

the bonus won’t benefit school-system employees in the long

run.

salary-schedule problem,” he said in an interview following the

meeting.

Director John Hudson echoed those sentiments when he asked the

board not to approve the allotment.

he told the board.

returning to a step-raise system for all employees would be more

beneficial.

raises for support staff, which I opposed,” he told the board. “It

has hurt the morale of employees.”

System’s current salary schedule varies pay raises, according to

category, while the school system in neighboring Mobile County has

a universal 27-step-raise salary schedule.

said he did appreciate the board’s action on the matter.

permanent solution,” he said in an interview. “A lot of them

(school-system employees) have had no raise for a number of

years.”