Cleveland schools pay $5M in accumulated time off

CLEVELAND (AP) — Records show the cash-strapped Cleveland schools have paid retiring employees nearly $5 million since last summer as compensation for accumulated vacation and sick leave.

The Plain Dealer newspaper reports 269 district employees have cashed in on that time since July 1, when the fiscal year began. More than two-thirds of those workers got at least $10,000 each.

The newspaper says it’s unclear whether the schools will save money because of a provision in the state’s new collective-bargaining law that would cap sick-leave payments for union employees in the district. Opponents of the law want voters to decide whether to keep or overturn it.

The Cleveland district isn’t the only one with big payouts for accumulated time. Columbus schools have paid 220 workers a total of $2.9 million this fiscal year.