Employees in Archdiocese of Baltimore schools will head into the Easter break with some good news, a one-time monetary gift in recognition of their service during a 2020-21 school year made more challenging by the coronavirus pandemic.
According to a news release from the Department of Catholic Schools, the April 15 payroll distribution will include the gifts, which were made possible by $600,000 in donations from benefactors across the Premier See.
More than 1,950 employees will receive a gift. According to the Department of Catholic Schools, all administrators will receive the same amount, and faculty and staff will receive the same amount.
The announcement was made the morning of March 31 at The School of the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Homeland by James Sellinger, chancellor of education for the archdiocese.
“We have been immensely blessed by the selfless service, dedication and professionalism of our Catholic school employees,” Sellinger said in a news release. “In spite of the enormous challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, their commitment enabled Catholic schools in the archdiocese to continue educating students without interruption and to reopen for in-person instruction on time at the start of the current school year.”
Schools across the state closed to in-person instruction in mid-March last year. While most public school jurisdictions did not welcome students into buildings until recently, Catholic schools in the archdiocese did so last August, with many opting for in-person instruction, but some families choosing remote learning, adding to the logistical hurdles for teachers and administrators.
“We’ve modeled the way,” Sellinger told the Review. “The teachers and administrations of all these schools have carried the play. They’ve done it safely and responsibly.
“They dedicated a lot of hard work to make this happen. This is not an easy task, to be standing there in front of a classroom, teaching in-person instruction, then on the back end, they’ve got people on a screen, they’re teaching remotely. It’s tough.”
Principals elsewhere in the archdiocese shared the announcement with their staff and personally delivered letters of appreciation from Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori and the Department of Catholic Schools.
“It’s been a long year,” Sellinger told the Review. “You can only say so much in words, so the archbishop, Dr. (Donna) Hargens (superintendent of schools) and I decided we wanted to express our gratitude. We took a page out of the playbook of a few other archdioceses, and raised the $600,000 from very generous benefactors who wanted to acknowledge the discipline and dedication to our Catholic schools.
“To give them (teachers) a monetary gift on top of it as they head into Easter break, it gives them a little momentum and demonstrates that the community overall has so much gratitude for our teachers.”
Michael Wright, principal of the Cathedral school, made the rounds and personally delivered the news.
“I know our teachers have worked so hard, this show of support means a lot to them,” said Wright, who came to the school in 2007 and is in his sixth year as principal. “To have students in school, five days a week, shows everyone is in this together.
“There’s been a lot of behind the scenes work. The archdiocese had a task force, our school had a task force, just getting multiple points of wisdom from different people made it a community effort. I think that’s why it’s successful. I know it means a lot to our teachers, and it brings joy to my heart to see them so happy.”
The recipients included Peggy Snyder, a fourth-grade teacher and former Catholic school principal.
“I have a renewed appreciation for teachers,” Snyder said. “It’s just an honor to be working in Catholic education. I’m not here for the money, but this is very much appreciated.”
According to the news release, there are 45 Catholic schools in the archdiocese, encompassing 37 elementary/middle schools, six high schools and two early learning centers, which enroll more than 17,000 students.
Kevin J. Parks contributed to this article.
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