Teams debate association access, leave rules and how hourly staff should document time for off-site association meetings

Negotiators spent an extended block reviewing association rights and leave provisions, focusing on how association meetings are scheduled, how support staff should document time when leaving campus for association business, and which facilities and electronic channels the association can use.

Mailboxes and bulletin boards: teams clarified that mailboxes and bulletin boards at school sites may be used for association notices about meetings and events, and they proposed striking older or duplicative language to make the list of permissible materials clearer. The facilitator said she intentionally removed “minutes of association meetings” from posted materials, noting that minutes historically are not publicly posted on site bulletin boards.

Association release time and TDAs: negotiators reiterated an existing practice that up to six teachers (instructional) or up to six support personnel can be released from duties to participate in bargaining without loss of pay, with substitutes paid by the association when required. A recurring operational issue discussed at length was how hourly support staff should document time when they attend an association meeting that occurs after student contact time but before their shift ends. Participants described the district’s need to reconcile TrueTime clocking and Skyward records and agreed the practical solution is a temporary duty request (TDA) or temporary duty request/assignment submitted in advance and approved by an administrator. The facilitator described the TDA practice: submit the temporary-duty request in advance, and the employee’s time is recorded as temporary duty for the approved period so they do not have to physically return to their site to clock out.

Emergency, unplanned meetings and electronic notices: negotiators clarified the language about association meetings during emergencies and whether the word “unplanned” should modify “incident,” “meeting,” or both. The group opted to simplify the clause so future readers understand the intent without ambiguity. They also standardized electronic communication rules and 24-hour notice exceptions for negotiation-related messages.

Board meetings and president release time: the association president (or designee) will continue to be allowed time off to attend board meetings and workshops upon request; the association agreed that if a substitute is required for students the association would cover that cost. Negotiators discussed existing practice of notifying the association president of policy, evaluation, and health-insurance changes and agreed to standardize distribution lists so association leadership receives consistent notifications.

What remains unresolved: the session did not change which parties can require a substitute when students are in session; it also did not add mandatory contract language allowing the association a guaranteed presentation slot at every new-hire orientation — some negotiators opposed contractizing that practice and preferred relying on current superintendent practice to invite association representatives.

Ending: the teams agreed to carry the cleaned and renumbered association-rights language into the drafts for both instructional and support contracts and to add clarifying language about TDAs and electronic notices; no formal vote was recorded.