Mon Feb 24 2020, 5:30pm
WHS Room 2203
Regular Meeting

REPORTS TO THE BOARD

Human Resources Report

To: Michael Green

From: Vicky Barnes

Date: February 19, 2020

Subject: Human Resources Report

*WA Paid Family Medical Leave - In January Washington Paid Family Medical leave became available to most of our employees. The actual benefit is administered by the state but employers have a notification requirement. When an employee has been away from work for 7 consecutive days and for reasons that could be covered by this program, we have 5 days to provide them notice that they have this leave available. I am working with administrators to ensure employees who fall into this category know they need to meet with me. I have created a process to ensure our employees receive notification and meet with them individually to explain the options available to them if needed. There are still changes being made in the process by the Employment Security Department so the program is currently a moving target.

*Bargaining Workshops - I attended two training sessions on bargaining, one with Washington School Personnel Association and one with Employee Relations and Negotiations Network. Both gave helpful information about the preparation that can be done before bargaining to encourage open communication and trust as well as how to be more successful at the bargaining table. I will summarize my takeaways from both of these trainings in a separate report.

*Apprenticeship Program - In January I took oversight of the apprenticeship program which is available to our classified employees. Our district has participated in apprenticeship since 1987. There are currently ten employees involved in the program which allows classified employees to attend college classes as they work toward completing the apprenticeship program. I have learned about the reporting needed to ensure compliance and how to track classes employees complete. I attended a meeting for the Paraeducator Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee which helped give me a greater understanding of the overall program and its structure.

*Certificates - Each month I notify certificated staff if their certificate is expiring in June. In January certificated teachers who have worked for a year and a half in a school had an expiration date added to their certificate of June 30, 2020. I send reminders monthly and track their process since it is important to begin the process early. OSPI can get backed up in processing renewals in the spring which can delay renewal and impact both the educator and the district when school starts in August. ESD 112 hosts free certification renewal workshops to assist educators who hold a certificate expiring on June 30, 2020, and the workshops are hands-on labs where they walk attendees through the renewal process from start to finish. These have proven very helpful to our staff in the past.