RIF, early retirement policy details discussed

Discussion on reduction in force and early retirement policies occurred during the Summerland School Board of Education’s Aug. 10 regular meeting, in Ewing.

In July, the board tabled discussion of RIF policy criteria, seeking input from the school’s attorney, Steve Williams of KSB Law, regarding the use of formal and informal teacher evaluations as one criterion.

Superintendent Dale Martin said Williams does not advise using evaluations as a criterion.

ms said evaluations are subjective and open to being challenged.

“At best, he advises us to use it as a tie-breaker, if needed. He said, ‘Selection for RIF would be better to be based on other qualifications that can be measured consistently,’” Martin noted. “It’s hard to compare apples to apples.”

Board member Candice Hoke asked if elements of the policy’s criteria need to be assigned a weight.

Martin informed board members they will have to assign criteria eventually.

Hoke would like to see evaluations remain in the policy.

Nate Schwager echoed that sentiment.

“I think it’s important,” he said.

Clearwater site principal, Mike Sanne, expressed concerns about using evaluations performed by three different administrators in three different buildings with three different staffs.

“There’s no secret, we’re all very loyal to our staffs. How do you decide how an evaluation Mrs. Cooper makes versus an evaluation I make carries the exact same weight or exact same criteria?” He asked. “Is that going to be a good enough determination to decide yes on this teacher or no on this teacher, based upon three different people and their philosophies on education?”

Schwager asked what criteria should be included.

“We can all sit around the table and say hey we know it all, it’s this person, but there’s nothing in this criteria ...” he said.

Greg Appleby, Ewing site principal, interjected, noting differences in the evaluation instrument used by the former Ewing and Nebraska Unified school districts.

“For the past four years, you measured their teachers with a yardstick, mine with a meter stick. How are you going to compare those?”

By the time the RIF policy may come into play, Ewing’s tenured teachers may only have one evaluation with the new evaluation instrument.

“A probationary teacher’s not going to make any difference anyway because they don’t have rights, so if you look back over five years, two teachers, we have one instrument for my teacher, which is the one they used, and then they’ve got four using a completely different tool,” Appleby said. “I think a Nebraska State Education Association lawyer would love you to have that in there.”

Hoke queried what tool will allow the board to work through the process.

Sanne said, “In the end, we select.”

An evaluation provides documentation in a teacher’s employment file, according to Hoke.

“I want to have tools to help us know that we picked the right person and we can tell the person we didn’t pick ‘this is why,’” she said.

Board member Steven Thiele asked how weighting criteria works.

According to the superintendent, one of the next steps will be to decide the number of staff members that will be needed.

“Then you’re going to go through and decide non-probationary here and probationary here. You start to plug in people based on some of those things,” Martin said.

Schwager asked if RIF is used for all positions.

“Just certified staff ... typically you don’t go through a RIF with classified staff,” said Martin.

Schwager made a motion, with a second by Marty Kerkman, to approve RIF policy 4037 components, as discussed. Motion carried 6-0.

Early retirement policy

Martin said KSB offered an example of an early retirement policy.

Ewing’s policy was similar to the KSB offering, but the Unified district’s policy was markedly different.

“You don’t have to have an early retirement policy,” Martin said. “Do you feel that we would have some people - certified staff - who would opt to take this and how would that help the district to relieve some staff as we go on to next year?”

Williams suggested an early retirement policy be in place by November, so the board can determine how many positions could potentially be reduced.

“By early February, somewhere in that time frame, you would want people to have applied for that, so you are getting your staffing kind of going along,” Martin said.

One benefit to establishing an early retirement policy is the number of positions considered for the program can be adjusted annually.

“If it’s not needed, you can say zero,” Martin said. “If you need it, you use it.”

The former Unified district’s early retirement policy offered single insurance or a cash equivalent for a three-year period.

Ewing’s policy used a different formula, involving teacher age and years of service. Appleby said it was used one time.

Schwager said he feels the district needs a policy.

Martin agreed. “I would recommend we have it, even if we don’t use it, it’s good to have it ready to go. I think we would have some staff we could incentivize if we need to.

Targeted buyouts could also be considered.

Thiele asked if criteria needed to be established.

Martin said yes, although it did not need to be finalized immediately.

After discussion, members tabled a decision until the September meeting.

GMP construction cost

The board approved the guaranteed maximum price of the new building project.

Thiele said that although a partial GMP was improved a few months ago, all components of the project have now been bid out.

Currently, the price tag totals $30, 249,505.

“That’s the guaranteed amount, barring any changes,” Thiele said. “If somebody decides to add scope to the project, then this amount would be amended through a change order.”

A few allowances remain within the dollar amount, including pieces of work that are fluid. Access panels, ceiling tiles, floor moisture testing and winter construction conditions were examples Thiele mentioned.

Deviations from the initial plan are included in the printed report, and according to Thiele, approximately 95% of what was approved in the partial GMP is also listed.

“This document, and its spelled out in clarifications, will supersede the last one. They’re not in addition to,” Thiele added.

Martin said it clarifies where “all the dollars are going.”

Thiele pointed out that seven project alternates discussed during the design phase, including a synthetic turf football field, west driveway surface and a secondary well, were not taken.

Kerkman made the motion, with a second by Jeremy Wagner, to approve the guaranteed maximum price. The motion carried 5-0-1, with Thiele abstaining.

In other business, the board:

• considered options to either use mud rock or cold mix to patch an area where the sewer line was fixed at the Orchard site. Martin said mud rock could cost between $700 and $1,000, while the price of cold mix could reach approximately $10,000. While Martin said the Village of Orchard may be interested in ordering and splitting a truckload of cold mix with the school, Thiele suggested contacting Antelope County Road Superintendent Aaron Boggs and ask about using millings to complete the project;

• discussed a potential contract with Cash-Wa for kitchen equipment. The board elected to have a meeting with kitchen staff to look over the plan;

• established substitute pay rates at $115 per day, $60 per half day and $125 per day for long-term subs;

• learned liquid assets were rolled into one account, per advice from Bryce Williams at the Nebraska Department of Education;

• heard valuation amounts remain steady or below last year’s levels and scheduled a budget workshop for Aug. 26; and

• accepted two resignations. Tiffany Beckman, a substitute paraprofessional at the Orchard site resigned. After 28 years of service to the Ewing district, Carm Thramer submitted her resignation, effective Aug. 21.