LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) – The St. Landry Parish School district will be rolling out $1,000 checks to all its full-time employees.

Superintendent Patrick Jenkins says the stipends are what the district calls the “13th check” or “Christmas stipend.”

Superintendent Jenkins explains that the stipends stem from a one-cent sales tax approved back in 1999.

Jenkins says the tax continues to collect enough money to keep the stipends alive.

We’ve been able to use those dollars to invest wisely and build the necessary interest so we can continue to draw up those dollars,” says Jenkins.

Jenkins says all full-time employees will receive $1,000 and substitute workers, based on length of employment, will get $250.

The finance department calculates that’s about $2.4 million in full-time employees and about $14,000 in long-term substitute workers.

“If they are custodians, cafeteria workers, teachers or et cetera; all of them will receive the $1,000 this Christmas,” Jenkins explains.

Jenkins says payroll is working very hard to get the checks out prior to the Christmas break.

The Christmas break for St. Landry Parish School students is December 20th and December 21st for teachers.

“They earned those dollars. It’s important to be able to give back to them,” explains the superintendent.

In the spring, the school district will have a tax proposition on the ballot with a proposal to provide pay raises; in addition to the stipend.