2022.03.16 Classification Study Retro, On-Site Work, Vacation Leave

The date March 16^th serves as a milestone to recognize the number of years since the shelter in place order. It provides an opportunity to reflect upon the pandemic experience we’ve all been sharing while isolated from each other. Events that shut down the district prior to 2020 could probably be counted on one or two hands, but now it would collectively take the hands of every one of us to count these cruel and usual days over the past two years. I struggle to find words of appreciation that would come close to properly recognizing the work that you all did during a period of tremendous anxiety, but I’m grateful that you elected me into a position where I can persistently pursue actions as part of a team driven to demonstrate care.

I’m a fan of memes and last night while scrolling I saw one that said, “My favorite conspiracy theory is that everything is gonna be okay.” It’s not the most profound statement, but I do hope we can push the world further towards “okay” and I believe in the conspiracy theory that we will.

Employees in the district office continue to work long hours to properly calculate and payout agreed upon amounts members are due. Unexpected staff vacancies, leaves, and complex data are hurdles that have pushed back the anticipated timeline. There will be a number of us who will receive our retro pay in March, but I do not know the precise number at this time. I will follow up with a separate message to notify everyone once I can share information with certainty.

Those who’ve separated from service(retired/resigned) may have to wait until the end of April for physical checks to be issued.

Everyone in Human Resources has echoed the message that this process has not been easy and they are working diligently. I will advocate for improvements to Banner to avoid these delays in the future.

Trizha Loren Aquino
Christian Bonner
Jeremy Peters