Board appoints HR director as chief bargaining negotiator after debate over compensation

The Nassau County School Board voted March 12 to appoint the district’s director of human resources as the chief bargaining negotiating officer, but deferred deciding the officer’s stipend pending a detailed cost breakdown.

The superintendent, Dr. Burns, recommended naming the HR director as chief negotiator and proposed an amended stipend figure during the meeting, citing historical costs for outside counsel and bargaining support. "When I look back at what we paid over the last year," Dr. Burns said, "because if you had the 65 and the 15,000…this is the person who also leads all of the executive sessions…" (Doctor Burns).

Board members pressed for detail. One member questioned a staff-provided estimate that equated total consulting time to roughly 266 hours, saying, "I struggle with it being 266 hours in a year. That does not sound accurate" (Ms. Hogue). Dr. Burns said the billing included consultations, pre- and post-meeting work, and that the stipend is not calculated by hours but as a single total for an entire bargaining cycle.

After discussion about whether the motion on the floor should be withdrawn and tabled to gather additional information, the board withdrew the pending motion and then revisited the appointment. The board ultimately moved to appoint Rhonda Devereaux as the bargaining chief negotiating officer with "compensation to be decided at a later date," and the motion carried.

The board asked staff to provide a more detailed breakdown of prior bargaining-related costs and services before returning to finalize compensation. The superintendent noted bargaining would begin in March, so the board planned to schedule a subsequent meeting to settle the stipend question.

What happens next: The board has the negotiator in place; staff will provide a detailed cost and services breakdown for a future vote on compensation.