Board approves administrator agreement after debate over sick‑leave cuts

Belcourt — The Belcourt School Board approved a negotiated Administrator Association agreement for the 2023–24 and 2024–25 school years after extended discussion over leave benefits and language clarifications.

Board members questioned several provisions, including which paid holidays would apply and how leave accruals differ for 11‑month and 12‑month employees. "Right now, the administrators are receiving 104 hours of sick leave. This would decrease that down to 80 hours," a district official explained during the discussion, prompting members to request adjustments to align the contract language with district policy.

Superintendent Dr. Martin told the board the agreement had been reviewed by the North Dakota School Boards Association and that the document was intended to keep administrative terms consistent with district policy. Multiple board members pressed for explicit language covering carryover, annual‑leave accruals and how personal leave applies to employees on different work calendars.

Board members also asked staff whether the agreement should include a formal option to negotiate further; legal counsel had advised that the district could, instead, adopt the agreement as written or proceed to negotiate terms. The administrator who presented the proposal said the document had been pared down from a longer form and that business managers had helped ensure it conforms with current policy.

The board approved the agreement on a roll‑call motion with the expectation that staff would amend specific contract language to reflect the district’s existing policies on leave accrual and holidays before final implementation. The board did not set a separate implementation date during the meeting.