PEORIA, Ill. – The head of the Peoria Federation of Teachers says he hopes he’s making a statement by giving back a bonus check he received thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jeff Adkins-Dutro gave back to Peoria Public Schools a $2,000 check given to all employees hired prior to March 15th of last year.
“If [the district] gets my paper check back with a letter saying, ‘I can’t accept this unless we address the fact that all these people are left out,’ maybe it will have a bigger impact,” Adkins-Dutro told news partner 25 News.
Adkins-Dutro claims 60 employees were left out.
“In our mind, if you worked all of last year, you’re a superhero for making it through that year,” Adkins-Dutro said. “This year has been even harder than last year.”
The school district says the bonus was given to anyone hired pre-pandemic, and who was still with the district as of earlier this month, maintaining daily employment.
