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Board considers contract language clarifying teacher sick-leave accumulation
Summary
Board members discussed whether contract language should explicitly present annual sick days to teachers capped at 120 days and noted 11 teachers are at that cap; staff will consult the district attorney and consider an MOU ahead of negotiations.
The Lake Park Audubon School District board spent part of its Jan. 27 meeting on a contract-language issue affecting teacher sick leave: whether teachers who have reached the 120-day accumulation cap should still be presented their annual 15-day allotment each year even if unused days would be forfeited at year-end.
Staff (Speaker 4) explained the existing contract language: teachers receive 15 sick days per year and may accumulate up to 120 days. Historically, the district had proceeded in practice so that teachers reaching the 120-day cap were nonetheless presented the annual 15 days; whatever portion of those 15 days remained unused at year-end was forfeited and not added to the 120-day bank. Staff said 11 teachers currently are at the 120‑day cap.
Board members said the issue is principally one of contract wording and precedent rather than a new policy proposal. One board member raised concerns about a potential year-end rush to use days if the district were to present the 15 days while employees were already at cap. Staff said the district could use an MOU for the current year and resolve the precise contract language in the next round of negotiations (covering 2025–2028).
The board asked staff to consult the district’s attorney and report back by email ahead of further discussion. Staff noted operational constraints such as the limited availability of substitute teachers and the district’s use of a sick-leave bank in some cases.
What’s next: staff will contact the district attorney to request a formal opinion on interpretation and potential language changes; any agreed language would be managed through an MOU or included in the next negotiated contract cycle.
