Kilgore ISD staff briefed trustees on the district’s sick‑leave donation bank, reporting that voluntary enrollment is increasing, the bank has been used to support two employees with catastrophic illnesses, and current reserves exceed program membership. Miss Cox, who delivered the update, said the program launched in 2023–24 and allows employees to donate local or state days; employees who leave the district may donate up to 20 days.

Why it matters: The bank provides a pooled, employee-funded safety net for staff facing catastrophic personal or immediate‑family illnesses. The program reduces the district’s need to provide leave-funded pay for these cases while expanding employee protections through voluntary donations.

Program mechanics and usage: Enrollment is voluntary; employees must be members to use days. The bank allows up to 30 continuous donated days per event, not to exceed 90 days in a lifetime; the program permits non‑consecutive days for some diagnoses (for example, cancer treatment) when the physician documents the need. A membership committee composed of representatives from every campus reviews anonymized physician documentation to determine whether a request meets catastrophic‑illness criteria. As of the report, the district had about 83 employees enrolled and more than 214 donated days in the bank; Cox said the number was still growing during the open‑enrollment period.

Donations and recordkeeping: HR staff deduct donated days from members’ leave balances when employees elect to donate. The district accepts both state and local leave days for donation. Trustees asked whether employees could donate again in future years; Cox said additional donations are permitted but not required.

Next steps: The district will continue the current open‑enrollment push and maintain committee review procedures. Staff noted that the bank has been used twice so far and that retiree donations have been a significant source of added days.