Medford School Board tweaks funeral leave, carryover days

When it comes to school staff requests, they win some and they lose some.

School districts are prohibited by state law from negotiating on collective bargaining agreements on anything other than base wages. As a means to get input about the wants and needs of staff, Medford schools holds annual employee relations committee meetings with both the teachers and the support staff.

From these meetings, a handful of employee requests are presented to the full school board with board members deciding what, if any, to implement.

At Monday’s school board meeting, members reviewed eight requests, four each from the teachers and support staff members.

The requests are as follows: From teachers: Allow long standing relationship (within the same household) to be considered immediate family and be eligible for paid funeral leave.

Increase the number of max credits allowed per year for credits earned after July 1, 2024.

Increase the payout for credits earned after July 1, 2024. Allow two additional funeral leave days upon the death of an immediate family member to come from accumulated sick leave.

From support staff: Increase the sick day carryover max from 96. Have the district increase their portion of the health insurance premium for those already paying 20% of the district-offered health insurance.

Begin awarding the years of service bonus after completing five years.

Increase the years of service pay amount. The requests were talked about at length at the district’s finance committee Monday evening and again by the full board later that night.

For the teacher requests, the first and fourth requests received the most support. Board member Steve Deml noted that neither would have a huge economic impact to the school district.

Sullivan suggested that it be left up to the district administrator to make the determination as to if someone is in a long-standing relationship rather than seeking to define it.

Deml had less support for the fourth request about increasing the number of days for an “immediate family member” noting the district’s expansive list of what classifies as “immediate family” under existing policies.

Deml noted that it would be hard to say “No that person wasn’t important to you, you don’t get five days.”

Board member Jodi Nuernberger questioned if there was a difference in difficulty for getting a substitute teacher for five days versus getting one for three days if a teacher was absent.

“It is tough either way,” Sullivan said. Board members asked about requiring proof as to if someone is attending the funeral of if someone has passed. Sullivan said he is able to do that now. “I have never caught anyone lying,” he said.

Board member Brian Hallgren said he was concerned about complicating something that the administration has been able to handle in the past.

Nuernberger noted the trend among employers going to paid time off pools rather than designated amounts of days for personal, sick or funeral leave. In a paid time off model there is a pool of time off staff get for whatever reason they want.

“Isthatwhereitisgoingtogointhefuture?”Nuernberger asked.

Sullivan said the major concern with going to a paid time off model is that people would use all the days.

“The biggest fear is people will use them,” Sullivan said, noting that this presents additional concerns when it comes to school teaching positions than other employers because of the need to line up substitute teachers. “It is a little harder in our world,” Sullivan said.

For the payout and increasing the number of credits available, discussion centered around the reasoning behind the current model.

Under the current policy, staff are reimbursed $125 per credit for up to 3 credits taken per year. Certified staff take credits toward earning advanced degrees or other certifications. The cost of taking those credit has increased since the policy was put in place. In addition, many are taking more than one class at a time.

According to school finance director Audra Brooks, the district budgets $12,500 per year for the credits reimbursement. If the district were to go to $150 per credit and up to six credits per year, the district’s cost would be projected at $30,000.

“It was never intended to pay for the entire credit,” Sullivan said of the current model. He noted that a staff member earning more credits would be able to spread them out to be reimbursed over a number of years.

“I want all staff to have a chance to advance their knowledge,” Fleegel said, supporting the idea of increasing the reimbursement.

However, other board members noted the district gives a sizable increase in base pay when the staff member earns their masters, doctorate or national board certification.

The current reimbursement system was developed following 2011’s Act 10 prior to that it was negotiated as part of the union contract. In the end, board members approved going ahead with the first request change with the administration taking more time to look at the credit reimbursement process and potentially bringing it back for board action in the future.

For the support staff requests, the request to increase the district’s share of the staff insurance premium was rejected. It was noted that last year the district approved a $1 per hour increase for support staff on the school’s insurance to address that issue. The concern, as Deml noted, is that by having the district lower the cost of the insurance to staff, more staff could potentially get on the district’s insurance plan driving up the district’s expenses.

There was little opposition to increasing the sick day carry-over from the current 96 days to match what is able to be banked for the teachers. The impact is potentially felt with payout of the unused days when a staff member retires from the district. If the staff member leaves the district for any other reason they do not get paid out for those unused days.

Most of the discussion centered around the years of service bonus and increasing the bonus pay amount. Each year support staff moves from one cell to another on the pay grid. In recent years, these cell shifts have equated to being about a 30 cents per hour increase each year. In practice the increase is higher for individual staff members as the district has increased the base pay for each cell in efforts to be more competitive in the local employment marketplace, Under the current model, staff move up two cells for milestone anniversaries beginning at year 10. The request would move that double-bump in pay to beginning at year 5 and going every 5 years after that.

“Five years is a long time in our current world,” said board member John Zuleger.

Sullivan supported giving the longevity increase starting at five years. Brooks said the increase would add about $5,000 to the wages.

The district typically sees its highest turnover with support staff and custodian positions, especially at times when local factories are recruiting for employees and increasing wages and sign-on bonuses. While this has leveled off in recent years, Zuleger noted the starting pay for school district support staff was less than what is being paid for starting staff at Kwik Trip. He challenged the district to look at innovative ways to show staff they are appreciated as a way to improve retention, noting that it is not always about money.

In the end, board members approved the requests for increasing the sick leave carryover days and beginning awarding the years of service bonus after completing five years and decided to take no action on the insurance premium or increasing the years of service bonus pay amount.