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Board hears $1.8M legal-fee pressure, rising workers' comp costs and fast TSIA bargaining timeline
Summary
Superintendent Conner told the board legal fees have approached $1.8 million year‑to‑date and workers' compensation reserves have been depleted, prompting internal transfers and an increase in payroll contributions; he also warned districts must begin TSIA bargaining by July 15 and finish by July 30 under the new law.
Superintendent Conner briefed the board on three fiscal pressures that complicate the 2026–27 preliminary budget: legal fees, workers' compensation claims/reserves and the state’s expedited timeline for bargaining the teacher-salary instructional allocation (TSIA).
Conner said legal expenses are running about $1.8 million year‑to‑date, “predicated on ongoing litigations,” and described possible mitigations such as quarterly litigation reviews, cost-benefit analyses of in‑house versus outside counsel and use of proprietary legal‑workflow tools. “It has been steadily increasing,” Conner said, and asked the board to consider directing a review of counsel structures and litigation off‑ramps.
On workers’ compensation, staff described long-duration claims and higher provider payments as drivers that have depleted reserves. The district plans to increase the payroll percentage set aside for workers’ comp from 1% to 1.5% next year and raise transfers from internal services (from about $1M to roughly $2.7M) to shore up reserves. Staff noted some claims are more expensive because employees are out of work and the district must both cover services and provide substitute or contracted coverage.
Finally, staff reiterated the TSIA bargaining window imposed by state law, which staff said must begin by July 15 and be concluded by July 30, creating urgent negotiation scheduling requirements. The board directed staff to schedule executive sessions as needed and requested follow-up analysis on legal‑cost benchmarking, workers‑comp trends and mitigation options.
Board members emphasized comparing legal spending to similar districts and requested a more detailed cost-benefit briefing on counsel configuration and options to accelerate workers'‑comp claim resolution.
