Public records obtained by Voice of San Diego show that schools across San Diego County used COVID-19 aid to pay their employees.
Principals, teachers, custodians, bus drivers, nurses, counselors, school police, and more staff employed by county schools including, San Diego Unified School District, Sweetwater Union High School District, and San Marcos Unified School District, were paid wholly or partially through COVID-19 aid.
San Diego County's 10 largest schools spent a majority of the $178 million in COVID-19 aid funds on employee pay and benefit costs, reports Voice of San Diego.
San Diego Unified used over $47 million in COVID-19 relief funds for employee costs in 2020 while campuses were completely closed.
While spending the relief on employees is generally allowed, state and federal lawmakers sent relief money to help school districts pay for safety precautions, materials for online learning, and extra support to limit the amount of learning loss students would inevitably experience.
“Given their jobs were redirected toward COVID-19 response, our Educational Technology Services, Instructional Technology, and Translation Services teams were paid out of COVID-19 funds,” Grossmont Union High School District spokesman Collin McGlashen wrote. “When existing staff was paid from COVID-19 funds, it was because their work for that period was focused on COVID-19 response."
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