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Board declines immediate change to staff‑absence limits after employee groups oppose tightening
Summary
Board received feedback from the district's teacher groups opposing a proposed tightening of absence thresholds. Administrators recommended keeping current absence thresholds but exploring earlier supervisory conversations and possible incentives.
Administrators reported back to the board on a request to revise staff absence benchmarks after the board asked for feedback from employee groups. Human resources presented survey results showing the majority of respondents from both MSTA and NEA favored keeping the current absence policy rather than tightening limits.
Under current policy, staff absences are considered excessive if they exceed five days in a month, 15 days in a semester and 30 days in a school year. Human resources proposed adjusting those thresholds in order to align staff attendance with student attendance expectations but said the teacher groups oppose a policy change: "71.8% of their members prefer the policy not to change," the presenter said for one group and, for NEA, "93.3% of their members prefer that the policy not change."
The presenter recommended against an immediate policy change and suggested alternative strategies, including earlier supervisory conversations when absences become recurrent and exploring incentives for consistent attendance. Board members acknowledged operational concerns about absenteeism but also voiced caution about making unilateral policy changes during a time of budget stress and workforce pressure.
The board asked staff to incorporate a process provision allowing administrators to have documented conversations with employees as absences accumulate and to return with language that balances accountability with employee supports. No vote to change the absence thresholds occurred.
