BASD approves changes to employee handbook

It reflects new era for school districts

By Jennifer Eisenbart

Staff Writer

With the final salaries now determined for the 2011-12 school year, Burlington Area School District officials presented a revised employee handbook at the Personnel Committee meeting Oct. 1.

In the end, the committee unanimously approved the changes to the handbook, which covered everything from wording changes to the updated salary schedule.

BASD agreed last month to an updated salary structure that called for a .75 percent increase across the board per cell. Cells are determined by a teacher’s length of time in the district and education level.

That was one of several changes, many of which were simple wording changes recommended by the district’s lawyer. However, others touched on everything from changes in state law to local insurance changes.

The section on employment law now mirrors a state law change, as the district can refuse to hire or terminate an individual who has been convicted of a felony.

“It would not be considered discrimination,” said BASD Superintendent Peter Smet.

Another change involved political activity. The handbook now states that no school employee shall use any work time “for the solicitation, promotion, election, or defeat or any referendum, candidate for public office, legislation or political action.”

The same section also defines what job abandonment now means – three days with no call or no show for the job.

The handbook also further defines sick leave, bereavement leave and unpaid leaves of absence – the latter switching the language from “shall grant” to “may grant.”

“This gives the district more flexibility,” Smet said.

The health insurance section added the new health savings account plan, while teacher evaluation was officially defined as following the “Burlington Area School District Certified Staff Evaluation Plan.”

Previously, that had been an area marked “under construction.”