Board reviews updates to personnel policies including rehire rules for retired teachers and principals

Human-resources staff reviewed proposed updates to multiple personnel policies at the Jan. 14 Calvert County Board of Education meeting and recommended posting them for a 30-day review period.

Zach Sewell, director of human resources, presented proposed changes to: Policy 6019 (Family and Medical Leave Act language) to clarify the term "unpaid" and to align hour definitions for part-time employees with federal law; Policy 6040 (Personnel Files) to add statutory citations from the Annotated Code of Maryland and COMAR; and Policy 6120 (Certification/Licensure) to update terminology from "certification" to "credential" or "professional license" consistent with new MSDE regulations adopted in 2024.

On Policy 6035 (Retire-Rehire Teachers and Principals), Sewell recommended adding principals to the policy title and language to reflect the Maryland retirement law exemption that permits rehiring certain retired teachers and principals without earnings limitation. Sewell said the district currently employs three retired teachers and one retired principal under that exemption. He recommended adding language to specify that rehired retirees be placed on salary scales consistent with negotiated agreements and that rehiring under the program be used for the exclusive purpose of filling school-level vacancies consistent with state law. Board members discussed the annual waiver counts and the law's temporary expansions (which have varied in recent years); staff cautioned that the number of allowable exempt positions and program terms are subject to state law changes.

No final policy adoptions were made at the meeting; the policies discussed were posted for the standard 30-day review period and staff will return with any revisions after the public comment window.