The Holyoke School system is hoping to keep as many teachers as they can. The pandemic has taken its toll on Holyoke and many other school systems in the state.
So Holyoke officials say they will offer retention bonuses to staff members who have stuck with the district throughout the trying times.
“We have made so much progress improving our educational programs and outcomes for our students in recent years, and for this I truly thank you,” Superintendent Anthony Soto said in an email to all HPS staff on Tuesday. “This growth simply would not have been possible without our team of dedicated and talented colleagues who are willing to work hard every day of the week in support of our students and the HPS mission of providing pathways for every student.”
Accompanying Superintendent Soto’s email was a copy of an internal memo that spells out the terms for qualifying for an appreciation/retention bonus, including signing a declaration of intent to return to the employee’s current position with HPS for the 2022-23 school year. Bonuses will be paid on June 2 to all employees who sign and return their declarations by May 26.
Soto says that how much a Holyoke teacher will get is dependent on how long they have been in the school system.