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Every Beaufort County Schools employee will soon receive a one-time COVID-19 supplement payment from the school system. Full-time employees will receive $1,500, and part-time employees will receive a prorated portion of that same amount.

The school board unanimously approved the supplements Tuesday night. The district will use Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund funds to cover the $1,625,345.79 bill for the payments. Those federal dollars are provided through the CARES Act. The price tag includes $1,476,107.57 for full-time positions and $149.238.22 for part-time positions. A payment date hasn’t been finalized — Superintendent Matthew Cheeseman said the payments will go out once the district’s finance department has everything ready to go. He said school board member T.W. Allen recommended the one-time supplements.

“He reached out to me and specifically said we need to be able to do something to recognize our employees in Beaufort County — not just teachers, but all people in Beaufort County Schools,” Cheeseman said. “No matter what your job title is, and even more so whether you’re full-time or part-time.”

Once the vote was complete, the school administrators in attendance grabbed their phones and excitedly began informing their employees of the news.

“I wish we could give more, because gosh knows they’ve earned that, times 10, as have all of you,” Chairwoman Carolyn Walker said.