Bereavement policy mulled by school board

WORLAND — The Worland school board began discussion on adding bereavement leave to its current staff leave policy during Monday’s regular meeting.

Superintendent David Nicholas said, “This would be a new benefit. Since I’ve been here, this is year eight, this has come up every year.”

He added that the current board policy allows annual leave to be used for funerals for immediate family, but noted, “no one ever plans on a loved one passing.”

The proposal, which has the approval of the district policy committee, would allow employees to convert three sick leave days to bereavement. The bereavement days can be taken only for bereavement.

The policy would expand the definition of immediate family to include siblings.

Chairman Don Bryant said the current leave policy was approved 10 years ago in 2007 with revisions in 2012.

Trustee Anna Venable, who has queried in previous meetings about the difference in leave, again asked why the district wouldn’t consider allowing an employee a set number of days for leave and allow the employees to take the leave for whatever the employee desires.

Bryant said having an overall leave policy would be easier to track for administrators.

Nicholas cautioned the board though, “Don’t give staff annual days and then be upset when they use it. The hard part is if they lump up the days around the holidays.”

Venable replied that the district is hiring professionals and if they are lumping days or abusing the leave then that is another issue the district needs to address with that employee.

In response to the comment that businesses lump leave together, Nicholas said, “Education is different than other businesses.” He said in the business world, if an employee is gone, there is some value gone, but when a teacher is out of the classroom, “I lose that forever, subs are wonderful, but we hire highly qualified,

certified teachers.”

He added that the district currently has a 17 percent absenteeism which equates to one year of every student’s life being taught by a substitute.

Board member Dean Dupree asked how an overall leave policy would impact the sick leave bank.

Joe Bishop said he would like to go ahead and consider the bereavement policy. He said if the board is serious about considering an overall leave policy he would like to hear from teachers and administrators.

Dupree said he would also like to know the numerical values if staff members do take all the days “because right now it is fairly low,” adding that if the district opened it up for employees to take time off for whatever reason there could more time off.

The board agreed to consider the bereavement policy at next month’s regular meeting Nov. 27 and ask the policy committee to consider and begin researching an all-encompassing leave policy.

Prior to agreeing to consider a bereavement policy next month on first reading, the board approved changes to the annual leave policy on second reading.

The changes allows first-year hires to immediately convert five of their 11 sick leave days to annual leave. Current policy does not allow the conversion until the fourth year.

In a previous meeting Superintendent Nicholas said, “I just think the responsibility for how to manage those days should be on the employee as well. It’s a little bit too big brother to me.”

In other business, student council and junior class officers Caitlin Cottrell and Payton McEndree reported that they are opening up the coffee/hot chocolate shop in the mornings for students as a fundraiser.

New teachers Angela Richardson of Worland Middle School and Amy Reid of South Side were introduced.

The board hired Amy Worley as an assistant cheer coach at Worland High School and Brian Hopkinson as assistant boys eighth-grade basketball coach.

During administrative reports, East Side Principal Chris Peterson said Cindy Huhnke’s class won the screen-free challenge during the Washakie County Public Health week-long screen-free challenge. They class will enjoy a pizza party on Halloween for putting down their “screens” for four hours during a week in September.

Worland High School Principal Wade Sanford reported they had an outstanding homecoming and the only public displays of affection were Assistant Principal Brian Gunderson kissing a pig. The smooch was a fundraiser where people “voted” with money to determine who got to kiss the pig.

West Side Elementary Principal Bruce Miller reported his students would be hosting a Veterans Day program on Nov. 6.

South Side Elementary Principal Ken Dietz reported work is continuing to develop a new mascot at South Side.

More on Monday’s school board meeting will be published in Wednesday’s Northern Wyoming Daily News.