Board adopts state-mandated sick‑leave cap; members press staff to preserve long‑standing benefits through MOU

The board approved policies 5.302 and 5.303 to implement a state law capping sick leave at eight days per year and converting two of the prior sick‑day days into guaranteed personal leave (resulting in a statutory minimum of four personal days). The changes triggered an extended floor discussion as board members raised concerns that some long‑tenured teachers who had previously received more combined paid days might effectively lose a paid day when the statutory cap is applied to sick leave.

Member Tyler, speaking at length, pressed staff for certainty that the district would not remove compensatory days that long‑tenured teachers have historically received. "So if we go to this new thing where we say only 4 days... teachers who have worked for 10 years or more would lose a personal day," Member Tyler said, expressing concern that the net paid days could fall from 13 to 12 for long‑tenured employees. Legal counsel Dana Osterbrooks recommended leaving the policy language aligned with statute and using the MOU renegotiation process to pursue any district‑level enhancements: "This language is what your board policy needs to say so that we are compliant with the law... There is nothing in this policy that would keep the district from negotiating what you're talking about in the MOU," she said. The board voted to adopt the policies as written; several members requested that staff pursue the matter during the MOU reopener and bring any recommended clarifications back to the board.