Board member Blair presented a comprehensive parental-leave proposal during the Jan. 15 Madison Metropolitan School District board workshop that would give eligible employees paid time off after a birth, adoption or foster placement.

"For each child that is born or adopted, the employee who has worked for at least 1 calendar year would be eligible for 60 workdays of paid leave for each child," Blair said during the presentation, summarizing the draft policy. The proposal would allow employees to elect sick leave instead but positions paid parental leave as the district’s primary option.

Why it matters: Supporters framed the change as a recruitment and retention strategy and an equity measure to reduce the gendered impact of using accrued sick leave after childbirth. The proposal also sets specific carve-outs: 10 paid workdays for foster placements (or the placement length if shorter), seven paid days for pregnancy-loss bereavement, and an additional 60 workdays if a newborn is hospitalized in a neonatal intensive-care unit for more than five days.

Board and staff questions focused on eligibility and administrative logistics. HR staff said the leave would run concurrently with state and federal Family and Medical Leave Act protections when applicable. Jennifer from HR said the district’s HRIS can manage leaves but added that "adding this leave will require additional tracking and likely 1–1.5 FTEs to manage these new leave types," and that the board should expect a cost estimate to include paid days, substitute costs and staffing capacity.

Board members also asked whether the district had consulted its labor partners; Blair said staff had preliminary conversations with MTI leadership but no formal bargaining had yet occurred.

What’s next: Board members asked staff to return with clarifications—particularly which employee categories (full-time, part-time, all staff) would qualify and a dollar estimate for implementation—before a second reading. Staff and board members agreed to add formal labor engagement and to consider any needed handbook or procedural updates as the policy is refined.

Ending: The board did not vote on the policy at the workshop; staff will provide cost and eligibility details and bring a revised draft to a future meeting for a second read.