HR Updates

If you have not already, please bookmark the leave page. It should answer most any question you have. The most common questions we receive are about 5% (Red) days and requesting and exception.

Remember that the 5% calendar (linked on the leave page) is not a live update. This means that a day and move from orange to red at any time. If you enter a day and it locks you out, talk with your principal to see if it is possible to secure coverage. In addition, if you are a teacher who went in and marked every Friday "just in case" please be mindful that there people who need those days off. You can certainly mark off a day anticipating a situation, but please don't pick the most popular days and until until 24 hours before to determine if you feel like being gone or not. This helps all of our staff get the most out of the PTO model.

You can find more information on THIS LINK to the HR Website. If you are interested in a position, you an complete the certified application and indicate the building/grade level or position that you are interested in.

You will apply under "CERTIFIED ALL POSITIONS" and then indicate your areas of interest on the application.

Also, please don't hesitate to contact me if you are interested in a potential transfer and we can talk through options.

CLICK HERE

In partnership with the KPS Foundation, we are happy to recognize the amazing people in our district. For both certified and classified staff, please complete the form linked above!

We have been getting questions about the sub pool and how subs are compensated.

In an effort to support our subs and our teachers we DO pay our subs when the cover for a class during a plan period and they are working a full day. Just like for our certified staff, if they give up their plan period, and are working a full day 8-4, then we do compensate them for that extra time. Most school districts do not do this, but we feel that it is a way to support the subs who are critical to our success as a district. Paying them not only honors their time, it also reduces the number of times that teachers in the building must give up their plan. We have seen a dramatic increase in the number of partial day requests. When a sub picks up a half or partial day we utilize them in a variety of classrooms and they DO NOT get paid extra. So if the sub comes in at 12:30 to cover for a teacher who has a doctor's appointment we may also have them cover for a coach who is leaving at 2:00 at the end of the day and the plan period falls during that time. There has been some confusion and misinformation about this recently. We hope that this process finds the balance between honoring our subs and paying them extra when they take no break during the day, but also is equitable that if a sub takes a half day then we will use them that entire half day and it prevents us from needlessly pulling teachers to cover during their plan when we have a sub in the building who could cover. If you ever have questions or concerns please feel free to reach out to me.

Other questions and important information:

1. Unfilled positions - We end each day with all or almost all of our open positions filled. The unfilled positions are almost entirely from emergency leave or last minute absences. The buildings that have the most unfilled positions generally have staff with medical needs or young children that naturally increases their number of emergency leave and thus increase their unfilled positions.

2. Large Sub Pool - We do not have a sub shortage. We have worked hard, and have successfully grown our sub pool. There are NOT fewer subs than last year. At the beginning of the year it takes a bit of time to onboard UNK students, but we have been able to grow those numbers in recent years. Dellene has onboarded 46 new subs this year and there are about 20 in the hopper. Also, we are now past the 180 day mark when retired teachers can join the pool!

3. Increase in Absences - Last year, after the implementation of the PTO model, our absences were up 30%. We had enough subs in the pool to cover absences on a daily basis. The biggest struggles occur due emergency leave and popular days around holidays, vacations and sporting events.

4.Emergency Leave - Many of our subs prefer to receive notice at least the night before if they are going to take a job. In addition, we have quite a few college aged subs. Sometimes they can only do half days. When we have time to fill those we can change a post to be half day and pair college students together. This is more challenging to do with our emergency leave situations.

5. Resources for Subs - The PK-5 and 6-12 Directors have been working with Technology to come up with a process so that our subs can have better access to online curriculums. We will continue to do that so that our subs can have the best resources possible to cover when you are gone.

January will be our only select a session this school year. There was a great deal of positive feedback on these sessions last year. In order to make a successful, please submit your ideas, nominations and requests HERE.

Thank you to our building leaders and all staff for being such gracious hosts to myself and Mr. Mundorf as we traveled around the district to each building. We conducted our final visits last week. I have included a summary of the highlights and take aways from our most recent visits.

• Fewer People Stopped In: In most buildings we had less visitors this fall compared to last spring. In those buildings, this allowed us more time to be out and about in the building, which was great!
• Synergy Training: A variety of people across K-12 and in various roles discussed their needs for more Synergy training. The Directors and other leaders are working through those requests with Technology and Synergy.
• SPED Numbers: We had conversations regarding the continued growth in Special Education numbers, as well as the increase in students moving into the district over the summer and throughout the fall. Also conversations about caseloads and numbers.
• Sub Questions: There were some questions from teachers about how subs are compensated and if they are paid when they pick up an extra block. The answer to that is above.
• Student Supports: Discussion about our current programing across all areas and where are we able to support student needs and where are there areas to improve.
• Teacher Transfers: More than one person brought up questions about what to do if you want to request a transfer to a different building or position. The answer is in this newsletter!
• Conference Attendance: Staff members who have their own children at the secondary level had conversations about how to know if a coach or teacher will be gone so that they can ensure they have the same opportunity to talk with parents that elementary parents have. Conversations about how to schedule those.
• Glenwood and the potential of a K-5 Non-Traditional School: This area received the most feedback as many elementary teachers shared their struggles, their concern for those students as well as the other students in their classrooms. There was a great deal of support for this opportunity while also recognizing the frustration of Glenwood. Many teachers discussed their compassion for those families, while also stating that this was a significant need for the district.

Reminder for probationary staff members that your building principal or evaluator will be in touch to schedule your end of semester evaluation before you leave for the semester. Feel free to reach out to them with questions and don't hesitate to contact me if needed.