Teacher leave of absence discussed, rejected

 

Chairs and furniture piled along the walls outside the boardroom in the Brookside Education Center hallway were indicative of the start of changes within as the school board approved a bid for work to begin transforming a portion of the facility into a day care.

The Albert Lea Area Schools board approved a bid from the lowest of five bidders. JD Driver Ltd. out of Rose Creek submitted the lowest bid of $298,000 for the work. JD Driver is also the company responsible for work at Halverson Elementary School.

Superintendent Mike Funk said the bid was in line with the district’s initial estimate of $300,000.

To pay for the work needed to create two infant rooms, two toddler rooms and a preschool component, the school board approved a resolution stating the intent to issue general obligation capital facilities bonds. Because the project is relatively small, said Baker Tilly financial adviser to the district Kelly Smith, there is limited interest in the open market. He recommended the district work with local banks for the bonding.

The board approved a resolution that set a cap of $570,000 with a future interest cost not to exceed 5%.

The bonds will have no tax impact on the public, Smith said.

Smith said he is confident the district will receive proposals that will meet these parameters. If the lowest bid meets the parameter, it can be approved by a pricing committee. This committee will be made up of the superintendent and incoming director of finance Jennifer Walsh.

However, should all bids fall outside the parameters set by the resolution, the winning bid would require board approval.

School board vice chairman Dave Klatt said 5% was a high rate for a 10-year bond and asked whether the rate was high because the issue was small.

“Yes, five is high, but that is our top parameter,” Smith said, noting he suspects bids to come in lower than 5%.

Once the sale is approved, Smith said he anticipates proceeds will arrive to the district in August.

The board also approved a reimbursement resolution that would allow the school district to pay any project bills that occur before bonding money comes in with district proceeds and then reimburse the district out of bond proceeds after funds become available for use.

Also at the meeting, a leave of absence request brought before the school board resulted in different opinions between board members on best practice for the school district in handling these requests.

Hawthorne Elementary School second grade teacher Taylor Meaney requested a leave of absence for one school year for personal family matters and to care for her infant. Executive Director of Administrative Services Kathy Niebuhr said it is past practice of the district to deny these requests so the district can continue to hire permanent teachers rather than long-term replacements, which are difficult to fill.

School board clerk Jill Marin said she regrets the district’s past practice of denial.

“I feel that we are continually faced with a teacher retention issue and a lot of the workforce today, flexibility has a lot to do with retaining employees — good employees — where we would like them to be,” Marin said.

She said denying leaves of absence feels “like a closed door” for teachers who would want to return following leave.

“I think it’s worth at least seeing what happens if we start doing that rather than just flatly denying every request that comes our way,” Marin said.

Funk said this would open the door for the “millennial generation to dabble with teaching” and then try something else — which he believes will have a significant negative impact on the district long-term.

School board treasurer Neal Skaar said he was nervous about a practice of categorically never allowing a leave of absence, which is a provision listed in teacher contracts. Instead, he agreed with school board member Kim Nelson, who said she would be more inclined to grant requests that would show benefit for students in the district.

School board member Angie Hanson also pointed to open positions at Halverson Elementary School as well as the district’s right of assignment to move teachers between grades and schools. She said this was an indication that the district could hang on to long-term replacements should they wish as well as retaining the teacher on leave should they want to return.

A vote passed a rejection of the request for a leave of absence. Marin and Hanson voted against rejecting the request, while Klatt, Skaar, Nelson and Petersen voted to reject it.

The school board approved moving its June 17 and Aug. 5 meeting locations to Clarks Grove and Hollandale, respectively. Hosting meetings in outlying district communities is an effort to have a presence in those other towns, with which Nelson said last year’s referendum vote showed a disconnect.

Hanson asked that a public forum be added to the agenda for the Aug. 5 meeting, which is a study session and therefore does not typically include time for public comment. Marin asked the district to video these meetings for access on YouTube, as is the case for meetings held in Albert Lea.

In other action:

• The school board renewed a district contract with Chartwells Food Service after hearing a presentation on participation rate and new programs. The board also approved the 2019-20 menu prices. Breakfast will stay the same at all buildings, while the cost of lunch will increase by 10 cents at all buildings.

• District Alternative Teacher Performance Pay Coordinator Julie Eaton provided the board with an update on its 14th year with the system, which she said involved a look back into PLC practices with a focus on learning, collaborative culture and results.

• Halverson Elementary School Principal Tonya Franks and Southwest Middle School Principal Chris Dibble shared with board members about the High Reliability Schools model, a school leadership model with a focus on research-based practice to increase student achievement. Approximately 16 district employees will attend a July conference in Denver to learn more.