Fayetteville School Board adopts new leave policies

FAYETTEVILLE -- School District administrators hope a new policy approved Thursday will result in a better attendance rate among teachers.

The new policy will provide teachers up to 12 days of leave each year, including 10 sick days and two days of personal leave. They will have the option of taking one additional personal day, but it will count toward their allotment of sick time.

How they voted

A motion to adopt the third of three options presented for a new leave policy for teachers passed by a 5-2 vote of the Fayetteville School Board on Thursday.

For: Justin Eichmann, Susan Heil, Tim Hudson, Steve Percival, Nika Waitsman

Against: Traci Farrah, Bob Maranto

Source: Staff report

It replaces a policy that allowed teachers up to 16 days of leave per year: 10 sick days and two personal days, plus four additional personal days for which they had to pay the daily rate of a substitute teacher. Teachers could carry over up to two personal days each year.

The new leave policy was one of three options the School Board considered. The board voted 5-2 to accept the policy covering teachers. Traci Farrah and Bob Maranto voted against it.

The board approved the same policy by a 6-1 vote for classified employees, such as bus drivers and custodians. Farrah cast the only vote of dissent.

Farrah, the board secretary, said the new policy represents too drastic a change, adding it's not the kind of treatment professionals deserve.

"I feel like (teacher) morale is going to really drop," Farrah said. "If you don't have happy teachers, they're not going to be productive teachers."

Justin Eichmann, board vice president, argued for the new policy. He repeatedly referenced 13.3, the average number of class days each teacher missed last year, not counting days missed because of long-term leaves of absence.

"It comes down to student-teacher time, face to face. To me, that's what the important issue is," Eichmann said.

Though the new policy reduces the number of personal days, it also provides teachers a new incentive to report to work.

Under the old policy, once an employee had accumulated 120 sick days, that person could carry over only three additional sick days each year. The new policy stipulates the district will buy from them each day they accumulate beyond 120 days.

"It puts money in their pocket if they don't use those sick leave days," said Greg Mones, director of human resources.

The new policy also allows retiring employees to be paid for however many sick days they have in the bank. The old policy allowed an employee to cash in only those days they had in excess of 45.

"All employees when they retire will be paid out for all of their sick leave days, whether they have 10 days or 110 days," Mones said. "So hopefully that will boost attendance."

Maranto said there was "a lot to be said" for the new policy, but added he was uneasy about making such a change without input from the incoming superintendent, Matthew Wendt, who begins the job July 1.

In other business, the board voted unanimously for the hiring of David Watkins as the new principal of Ramay Junior High School, where he once was a student. Watkins will replace Lori Linam, who is resigning to care for a family member.

Watkins has 22 years of experience in education, 13 of which have been in administration. He has been principal of Kimmons Junior High School in Fort Smith since 2010. He earned a master's degree in educational leadership from Arkansas Tech University in 2002 and an educational specialist degree from Arkansas Tech in 2007.

The board also approved hiring Jennifer Fairchild as an assistant principal at Asbell Elementary School.

NW News on 06/24/2016

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