Lakeland district committee refines RIF procedures, approves staff to build scoring form

The Lakeland District policy committee reviewed proposed changes to its reduction‑in‑force (RIF) procedures for certificated employees and approved moving forward with a consolidated scoring form, HR staff said.

Committee members said the draft clarifies recall rights, scoring criteria, and appeal steps and directs the human resources office to prepare the operational form for the district. "Any certificated employee who loses a position as a result of the reduction in force . . . shall be placed on a recall list for 2 years from the effective date of the RIF," a staff member reading the policy told the committee.

Why it matters: RIF rules determine which certificated employees could lose positions in a budget shortfall and how the district will prioritize callbacks, credits for service after recall, and appeal rights. The committee's decisions will shape how administrators document and defend personnel choices if reductions are required.

Most important details: Committee members agreed the recall list will last two years and that principals will make priority callbacks using the rank ordering produced by the RIF scoring form, subject to board and administration approval. The draft orders recalls "in the reverse order of the RIF," meaning those most recently released are recalled first, the policy text says.

The scoring criteria the committee discussed and retained include evaluations, certification and credentials, student and school activities, extracurricular duties, professional contributions, longevity, and tiebreaker considerations. The HR director will calculate points and supply the RIF notice to affected certificated employees; the draft sets procedural timeframes for review and appeal.

Committee discussion clarified appeal and timing steps: if a certificated employee believes a scoring error occurred, they must notify the HR director in writing by the close of the third workday after receiving the RIF notice. The HR director will review any submitted notice; if an error is found, a corrected form will be issued within five workdays. If no error is found, the employee will be notified of termination within five workdays and will have three workdays to appeal the HR director's decision to the superintendent. The superintendent's decision on such appeals is final and "exempt from any grievance policy," the draft states.

On due process timing, committee members agreed that the formal due process hearing for an employee who requests one would occur after the board approves the RIF, not before. "Certificated employees who are affected by the implementation of a RIF will be promptly notified in writing of the board's decision or actions that need to be taken by the board relating to applicable due process activities, if any," a staff member reading the draft told the group.

Form development and next steps: the committee agreed to have HR (Brooke) merge a district draft with a Coeur d'Alene template and to place the combined tool into an Excel workbook to automate scoring. Committee members said Rebecca produced a clean draft and that Brooke will create the district version; Brooke agreed to take the form forward. The committee also asked that the certificated scoring be integrated with the district's individualized professional learning plan (IPLP) data for future years so evidence of leadership and other contributions is available in one place.

Classified staff: committee members debated a separate approach for classified employees. Several members said classified staff do not have the same statutory property rights as certificated employees, but that a consistent, documented scoring system could reduce litigation risk in the event of a large RIF. The group directed staff to draft a parallel classified scoring form that reflects position differences and practical constraints.

What was not decided: no final board vote occurred in this meeting; the committee authorized staff to prepare the forms and to circulate the drafts for public input before returning to the board for approval.

Speakers quoted or cited in this report appear in the committee record as staff and administrators who read or discussed the draft policy and forms; direct quotes are from policy text read aloud during the meeting.

Ending: HR will produce a combined certificated RIF scoring form and a tailored classified version for committee review and public comment; timing for board consideration was not specified in the meeting record.