West Central to Continue Paying Support Staff during School Closure

The West Central School Board took action last week to pay support staff while regular classes are canceled. Superintendent Dan Zylstra says employees will be paid their regular amounts during the emergency school closure, which will last until at least May 1.

He explains that staff members continue working to get meals out to students, while a deep cleaning of the buildings is also ongoing. Other employees are working remotely, and social distancing recommendations are being observed.

According to draft minutes from last week’s meeting, Zylstra told the school board that West Central has been distributing over 300 meals per day. The cost is eligible for reimbursement from the federal government, based on new guidelines from the National School Lunch Program. Meanwhile, teachers are getting ready for the start of eLearning next week, but school officials are still working on plans for graduation and how to make sure seniors get the credits they need.