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Trustees warned state bills could add unfunded costs: mobile panic alerts and expanded paid parental leave
Summary
Administrators told the board that a mobile panic‑alert bill would be an unfunded state mandate unless amended and that H3645 (paid parental leave) would expand paid leave and could materially raise substitute and staffing costs if adopted without funding.
CLOVER — District leaders used the work session to flag three state bills that could change district operating obligations and costs if enacted as written.
Dr. Quinn told trustees that House Bill 3195 (recess and PE minutes) had been amended and the immediate fiscal concern had been avoided, but she said House Bill 3258 — requiring mobile panic alert systems — currently contains no funding and “would literally be an unfunded mandate that we would be forced in law to implement.” She asked state legislators to add funding or pause the mandate while the fiscal impact is worked out.
On specifics of the panic technology, staff said the district already uses the Raptor visitor system and is evaluating integrating an ID‑badge panic button that would communicate via Wi‑Fi to call 911; Mr. Bur described the device as an ID‑sized badge with a button and said the district is gathering vendor pricing so it can report a fiscal impact to the state.
Dr. Quinn also highlighted H3645, which the presentation said expands paid parental leave: primary parents’ paid time would extend from six to 12 weeks and the secondary parent’s paid time would increase from two to four weeks, the bill would add paid leave for stillbirths and would apply to grant‑funded positions. District presenters said they support paid leave at the current six‑week level but warned that mandating 12 weeks without funding could require longer substitute assignments and “an unintended academic consequence when a student is without a teacher for a half a year.”
Administrators asked for direction and said they will provide a fiscal estimate on panic alerts to the state. Trustees did not take formal positions at the session but several members urged the administration to press legislators for funding or more flexible timelines so the district can plan implementation without destabilizing the operating budget.
