Hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, Schuylkill County Children and Youth Services Agency is recovering thanks to county leadership, a staff member said.

Carl D. Rumbel, contracts manager for the agency, spoke not in his official capacity, but as a member of the public at Wednesday’s Salary Board meeting.

He talked about the past two year’s exodus of agency employees, which was frequently mentioned by people during the public comment portion of the commissioners and salary board meetings.

“There had been some real sense of dread in our office, and I certainly felt that, as short staffed as we were, there were questions on whether we were going to be able to keep up with our requirements, were we more likely to miss some important detail, some cry for help from the community,” he said.

“Many of us stuck through this dark time, watching as others left for other opportunities with mixed emotions.

“I’m here in that private capacity to share my opinion on where things stand, and to express my appreciation to the board for getting us back on track,” Rumbel said.

He referred to the listings of resignations, retirements, terminations, and appointments, known as personnel action reports, that are presented at each Salary Board meeting.

“There were a dreadful amount of resignations listed, and that that is now trending toward appointments,” he said.

Rumbel spoke of recent union contract negotiations that “reached terms that have gotten us turned around” and “extraordinary steps were taken along the way aside from the negotiations to stem the bleeding.

“This is deeply appreciated, and ultimately a benefit to the children and families of this county in each corner of it and beyond.

“That said, we continue to face some vacancies in our supervisory positions. I’m certain those who continue to pull double duty look forward to construed good faith work with this board,” Rumbel said.

The agency lost employees during and after the pandemic.

Children and Youth executive director Lisa M. Stevens said earlier that 31 staff members left in 2021. At least 28 employees left in 2022.

The pandemic made an even stressful job even worse, with caseworkers mandated to go into homes to evaluate situations even if people infected with the virus were there.

On top of that, when the economy started to rebound, workers left for less stressful, higher paying jobs.

Last September, commissioners gave agency workers a financial incentive to stay, offering retention bonuses, ranging from $500 to $1,500.

In March, the county and agency negotiated a five-year contract that gave employees $2 an hour wage increases plus annual 3% raises.