WESTLAKE ACADEMY STAFF REPORT RECOMMENDATION
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Discuss, consider and act regarding WA Resolution 25-04 approving and adopting a policy that allows for staff to be paid during emergency school closures. (Dr. Kelly Ritchie, Head of School)
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STAFF: Head of School Dr. Kelly Ritchie
BACKGROUND:
During school closures due to inclement weather or other emergencies, both teachers and students must make up any missed time not already accounted for in the school calendar to meet the state requirement of 25,600 student instructional minutes and 187 contracted teacher workdays per year. While we were able to recover the required instructional minutes for students this year by adjusting the schedule within the existing school year, the additional two staff workdays remain unaccounted for. As a result, staff may need to extend the school year beyond the published calendar to fulfill their contractual workdays.
For consideration of approval is a policy that allows staff to be paid during an emergency school closure for up to five days when the missed workdays are not scheduled to be made up later. Additionally, for emergency closures expected to extend beyond five workdays, staff payment could be considered on a case-by-case basis. This approach would provide financial stability for employees while maintaining flexibility for the district in handling extended closures.
DISCUSSION:
Following the COVID-19 pandemic and the week of closures during the 2021 power grid failure, some school districts have reevaluated their policies on staff pay during emergency closures. In researching how other districts handle this issue, we found that some have adopted a local Board Policy allowing staff salaries to be paid during emergency closures rather than extending the school calendar to make up for lost workdays.
According to the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB):
“A district may pay employees even if it is not legally obligated to pay them, if the district takes steps to avoid an improper use of public funds. Specifically, the board must: (1) determine that the expenditure serves a public purpose; (2) retain sufficient control over the expenditure to ensure that the public purpose is accomplished; and (3) ensure that the district receives a return benefit. In the case of temporary closings due to weather events or epidemics, some boards have concluded that paying employees for hours not worked increases morale and reduces employee turnover.”
This approach ensures financial stability for employees while also supporting retention and overall staff morale.
6 Tex. Att’y Gen. Op. No. KP-0204 (2018).
FISCAL IMPACT:
The fiscal impact would be a reduction of operational cost required to open the school buildings for any additional days required to make up the emergency school closure days.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approving WA Resolution 25-04 approving and adopting a policy to pay Westlake Academy staff during emergency school closures.
ATTACHMENT(S):
WA Resolution 25-04
Section 21.401 - Minimum Service Required.
Personnel Issues During Disasters, Emergencies and School Closings
TOWN COUNCIL ACTION/OPTIONS:
1) Motion to approve
2) Motion to amend with the following stipulations (please state stipulations in motion)
3) Motion to table
4) Motion to deny