Five employees win incentive prize for 2016-2017 perfect attendance

Justo Headlee (left) of Cy-Fair High School, Penny Grimmer of Post Elementary School and Dianne Suddeth of Watkins Middle School were three of the five Campus Attendance Incentive Program winners for who won a $5,000 perfect attendance award for the 2016-2017 school year.

With the countdown to the 2017-2018 school year nearly its end, the five winners of the Campus Attendance Incentive Program for the 2016-2017 school year were recognized over the summer.

The five winners were Toni Weber (Bleyl Middle School), Cynthia Anderson (Matzke Elementary School), Justo Headle (Cy-Fair High School), Dianne Suddeth (Watkins Middle School) and Penny Grimmer (Post Elementary School). Each had his or her name drawn from the pool of eligible employees at the June 26 board meeting and won a $5,000 perfect attendance award.

“It is an honor to be with the students I get to teach and every absence is a loss to both of us,” Anderson said. “Furthermore, I am modeling that attendance is important – I am giving my all even when I am not feeling my best.”

Cynthia Anderson of Matzke Elementary School was one of the five Campus Attendance Incentive Program winners, qualifying by not having any absences for both semesters during the 2016-2017 school year.

Added Suddeth: “I wanted the students to know that they could count on me to show up every day.”

Staff members eligible for the attendance incentive are full-time classroom teachers and campus paraprofessionals with two or fewer absences during the fall or spring semesters. Three names are drawn from the list of eligible employees at high school campuses, two names from middle school campuses and one name from elementary and special program campuses, totaling 125 honorees that received an attendance incentive award of $1,600 each during the 2016-2017 school year.

In addition, all eligible full-time classroom teachers and campus paraprofessionals with perfect attendance (zero absences for both the first and second semesters) were pooled together for the $5,000 award drawing.

Toni Weber, who recently retired after teaching at Bleyl Middle School, was a Campus Attendance Incentive Program winner for the 2016-2017 school year. Winners qualified by not having any absences during either semester.

Though a byproduct was to help CFISD reduce substitute costs, that wasn’t a key factor in establishing the program which starts its second year, said Karen Smith, assistant superintendent of business and financial services.

“The main goal of the attendance incentive was to keep teachers and paraprofessionals in the classroom in order to provide the best instruction for our students,” Smith said.