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Farmington board refers draft policy limiting paid leave for union volunteer work to policy committee
Summary
Board Chair Chuck Christiansen introduced a draft policy to restrict district‑paid additional leave for employees who volunteer on bargaining‑unit business during contract negotiations; the board agreed to send the proposal to the policy committee for further review.
At the meeting, Chair Chuck Christiansen introduced a draft policy intended to clarify and restrict additional district‑paid leave for employees who volunteer on bargaining‑unit business during contract negotiations. Christiansen said the issue arose after the most recent negotiations when, he said, the Farmington Education Association’s president denied use of contracted days for some volunteers then later requested additional paid leave which the district ultimately granted.
"Labor unions are separate from the school district," Christiansen said in justifying the draft language, arguing that volunteer union work is not district business. Christiansen estimated that providing additional paid leave and substitute coverage in that case cost the district in the ballpark of $10,000–$15,000; administration said the district would need to review costs and policy consistency across bargaining units.
Board members discussed consistency across contracts. One member noted that nurses and paraprofessionals have some contract provisions that permit hours during the school day and called attention to the need for uniform standards. Superintendent Berg and other administrators explained there are multiple funding streams (including QCOMP) and that some buildings already have release time for facilitator or instructional support positions; administrators also cautioned that some positions could be adjusted in future years if enrollment declines.
Christiansen said the draft policy would require bargaining unit negotiations to be scheduled outside student contact time and clarify that there should be no expectation of additional paid leave from the district for bargaining‑unit volunteer work, including mediation attendance. The board did not adopt the policy at the meeting; members agreed there was sufficient consensus to forward the draft to the policy committee for review and possible refinements.
Next steps: the policy committee will review the draft and return recommendations to the full board at a future meeting.
