Board approves MOU on ‘trading days’ for ACE employees; administrators say safeguards limit substitute costs

The Keystone Central School District board voted July 17 to approve a memorandum of understanding with the ACE bargaining unit that allows administrators to offer optional work outside the standard contract days in exchange for traded days during the school year.

Board members raised concerns that the language—allowing up to three trade days or 18 hours—might create additional substitute costs if employees used trade days during the school year. A member who had circulated questions by email asked whether the provision effectively increased paid days and could raise district costs for substitutes.

Randy, a district administrator who helped draft the MOU language, told the board the practice had precedent in other districts and that it was intended for necessary summer work—counselor duties and time-sensitive enrollment work—not broad voluntary summer employment. He said administrative approval would be required for any trade-day arrangement and that principals would not approve requests that would obligate substitutes for routine summer projects. “It has to be administratively approved... the only approvals will take place for somebody that won't need a sub,” he said.

The board approved the MOU on a roll call of eight yeses and one no. Administrators said the MOU should reduce per-diem costs in situations where staff would otherwise be paid per diem for necessary summer work, but they also acknowledged that, if administrators approved summer work that required paid substitutes during the school year, the district would incur those substitute costs.

The MOU passed with the expectation that principals run trade-day requests through central administration so the district can confirm no substitute-related costs will be created or, where necessary, record and budget any such costs.