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Policy committee reviews proposed split of sick leave bank from negotiated agreement
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Summary
Lakeland District policy committee debated moving the sick leave bank out of the negotiated agreement into a standalone policy, discussed eligibility and administration rules, and agreed to forward the revised text to the board for further consideration.
The Lakeland District policy committee on Tuesday reviewed proposed changes to the district’s sick leave bank and debated whether that bank should be removed from the negotiated agreement and become a standalone policy. Chair (speaker 1) said Brooke had asked for a single-word change but recommended the committee consider separating the sick leave bank into its own policy because the bank is currently tied to the negotiated agreement.
Committee member Rebecca House raised a caution: she said that unless the bank is formally removed from the negotiated agreement, creating a conflicting standalone policy could create legal and operational problems down the road. “Is the fact that it's currently still in the negotiated agreement, and unless it gets voted on and approved to be removed from negotiated agreement, I feel like we're gonna have policy fighting against…,” House said, urging the committee to resolve the bargaining status before finalizing policy text.
The committee reviewed the policy’s details line by line. Committee members confirmed eligibility rules that mirror Idaho statutes (cited in the draft as Idaho Code sections 33-12-16 and 33-12-17): employees must have at least one day of accrued personal sick leave to enroll. The committee discussed council administration (two administrators/directors appointed by the board and two teachers appointed by the LEA, with the superintendent casting a tie-breaking vote), enrollment and donation requirements (initial donation of one accrued sick day, potential additional assessments to maintain solvency) and withdrawal limits (an individual may withdraw up to 85 days during employment).
On use and allocation, the draft requires employees or designees to submit medical verification and a completed request form; the policy also states that for each unrelated prolonged illness the first two days of approved sick leave will be unpaid at a rate equal to the current substitute daily rate. Human resources will transfer approved days to the employee’s leave record and maintain membership reports for the superintendent, LEA president or board upon request.
Rather than finalize the text, the committee agreed to forward the item to the full board with a note about the committee’s discussion and the option of making the sick leave bank a standalone policy if bargaining status is resolved. The committee asked staff to double-check the negotiated agreement language and historical decisions on the issue before the board reads the policy.
