By now, you should be used to getting end of the year updates and reminders from us; whether it's a reminder to evaluate your probationary employees by the end of the semester, or to meet your PPACA reporting obligations, we just can’t help ourselves. In fact, we blogged about several reminders already this week! Now, we’re back with a couple (I promise, quick) reminders for your upcoming board meeting.
Review Your “Safe Return” and “ARP ESSER” Plans
Remember this spring and summer when everyone was scrambling to put together your “Safe Return” and “ARP ESSER” plans? Feels like 5 years ago, right?
The rules around both plans require them to be reviewed “at least every 6 months.” You have very likely reviewed and possibly amended your ARP ESSER plan (where you explain how you plan to spend the ESSER III money) since this summer, but you may not have reviewed your Safe Return plan since beginning school.
This is a reminder that you must review both at least every 6 months. And, in the event you may make changes to either plan, keep in mind that you must seek public and stakeholder input prior to making any changes. You may want to consider putting a review of both plans on your December or January board agendas. If you do think changes are needed, you can solicit feedback between meetings and approve changes at your next meeting, if needed.
Don’t Forget Your Superintendent Pay Transparency Act Obligations
For many schools, the superintendent’s contract is a topic of discussion at the December board meeting. Before you have those discussions, it’s important to remember the obligations imposed by the Superintendent Pay Transparency Act (SPTA).
At least three days before any board meeting where a proposed superintendent contract or contract amendment is considered or approved, the board must publish:
a copy of the proposed contract or amendment;
a reasonable estimate and description of all current and future costs to the school district if the proposed contract or amendment were approved; and
the date, time, and place of the public meeting at which the proposed contract or amendment will be considered.
Within two days after the board approves a contract for future services, the board must publish:
a copy of the approved contract; and
A description of all current and future costs that will be incurred as a result of the contract.
The SPTA specifically envisions that each of these publications will be on the website of the school district, with a “prominently displayed” link and access to the entire contract document at issue.
Conclusion
After a slate of far too eventful board meetings in 2021, we hope your board meetings will quickly return to the boring old norm. Either way, if you need help planning for, running, or recovering from a board meeting, don’t hesitate to call Karen, Steve, Bobby, Coady, Tyler, or Jordan at 402-804-8000, or e-mail us all at ksb@ksbschoollaw.com