ROCK SPRINGS — Sweetwater County School District (SCSD) No. 1 will offer its employees a one-time COVID-19 health and safety incentive for those who have or have not been vaccinated at this point.

Superintendent Kelly McGovern told the Board of Trustees tonight that the incentive provides an opportunity for employees to earn an additional $500 by following testing protocols on their own.

Those employees choosing to take the incentive, but don’t want to be vaccinated are responsible for being tested for COVID-19 twice a month and providing that documentation to the district, McGovern said.

Vaccinated employees will only need to show their shot cards to qualify for the incentive. Vaccination records will need to be submitted to the district by January 14, 2022, for employees to be eligible for the incentive.

“For those people that want to go the testing route, we’ve also provided a website where they can go on to the CDC and take a look at different types of tests that will be acceptable to use,” said McGovern.

Trustee Andrea Summers asked McGovern if a two-week testing pattern would be enough, and McGovern said that time frame was established based on the typical turnaround time for results to come back. But she added the district can adjust the policy if the board feels for frequent testing is necessary.

The incentive will be paid out in a separate payroll check on January 27, 2022, she added. She said this can be a benefit for everyone including substitute teachers who have at least four days of work in the district.

It is one of the best things that we can do to keep our kids safe, keep our schools open, and keep them going for in-person instruction.

SCSD No. 1 Superintendent Kelly McGovern

The board talked about improving student achievement scores earlier in the evening, and McGovern said the district is equally concerned about the relationship loss between students and teachers because of the pandemic.

“We believe this is an excellent use of grant funds to make that happen in the best way we can,” she added.

The incentive will be paid for using Esser II grant funding which will also be used for virtual school, interventionists, cleaning staff, and indirect costs totaling just over $1 million.