Board approves revised sick-bank procedure with Danville Education Association; tuition assistance for administrators paused

Kim Paps, director of human resources, told the board the administration is recommending changes to the sick-bank process negotiated with the Danville Education Association (DEA). The board approved the DEA agreement and related procedural changes by roll call vote, 6–0.

Paps described two items: an informational notice that an earlier agreement allowing administrators to return to school for a superintendent endorsement or doctorate will not be reoffered at this time because of funding constraints, and a proposed revision to the DEA sick-leave bank procedure. Paps said three administrators had used the earlier tuition option this past year but the district is suspending future offers for now.

Regarding the sick bank, Paps said the word "catastrophic" would be removed from the policy language and that the review committee would be composed of three DEA-selected voting members; the DEA president and the director of human resources would serve as nonvoting, ex officio members to maintain confidentiality and to handle associated administrative tasks such as TRS and payroll calculations. The revised limits would allow up to 25 working days to be granted in a 12-month period and a 50-day career cap; members may apply again after 12 months if still eligible. The decision timeline for committee action was extended to seven working days to accommodate scheduling interruptions such as snow days.

Paps said the changes were worked out between the DEA and district negotiators and recommended board approval; the board approved the recommendation unanimously. The board did not change the committee composition to include additional non-DEA members; Paps emphasized HR and business office involvement would remain nonvoting to preserve confidentiality and proper administrative handling.

Why it matters: The sick-bank changes reshape the district’s internal process for granting additional leave days and limit per-year and career maximums, which affects staff with extended illness. The pause of administrator tuition assistance is an operational funding change that affects a small number of administrators who had been eligible for past agreements.

Next steps: The HR office will implement the revised sick-bank procedure if the agreement is ratified and will communicate the new timelines and limits to staff. Paps said the changes would appear in updated DEA materials and be reflected in HR processes for leave tracking.

Ending: The board’s unanimous vote implements the revised sick-bank process and documents that the earlier administrator tuition assistance program is not being offered at this time because of funding constraints.