Merry Christmas, from Hilda Maldonado.

The superintendent of the Santa Barbara Unified School District played the role of Santa Claus this week by giving every employee a $2,500 holiday bonus.

“I have been meeting with employees, and have heard first hand how hard the cost of inflation here is, particularly for those who care for family members, whether it’s childcare or elder care,” Maldonado said in a news release.

“We care about our employees and their families. We are committed to looking for ways to improve our employees’ compensation and benefits, and we hope this helps to ease some of that pressure.”

The board voted 4-0 in a special meeting Monday night to give a $2,000 one-time payment to employees, and a $500 one-time payment for increasing healthcare costs.

Also, substitute teachers are set to receive a $1,250 stipend per semester if they worked a total of 45 assignments over that time period, according to a news release.

The bonuses will cost about $5 million and are funded by the Learning Recovery Emergency Block Grant.

Maldonado, some board members, union leaders, and cabinet members visited all schools, and invited staff to share their concerns about the rising costs of housing, inflation, and healthcare expenses during a recent listening tour.

“We certainly value our employees,” said board member Rose Munoz. “We are hoping this will be of assistance to them. We know it’s not an answer to all the issues.

“We hope it shows our support to our employees, and going forward trying to address other healthcare costs and workforce living costs.”