CLASSIFIED COUNCIL MINUTES

May 17, 2004

MEMBERS PRESENT: Phyllis Abernathy, Instructional Assistants; Russ Southworth and Doug Botkin, Maintenance; Patty Reed and Fay Isaacs, Secretarial/Clerical; Marcus Dobbs and Bob Glass, Transportation; Jo Ann Bright, Custodial; Jon Connor, Food Service.

ADMINISTRATORS PRESENT: Dr. Marlene Helm, Interim Superintendent; Diana Shoop, Human Resource; and Doug Marshall, Budget.

VISITORS PRESENT: Barbara Durham, Transportation; Becky Jones, Lansdowne Elementary.

OLD BUSINESS:

Overschedule/Overtime C.O. Employee: Written notification was received on May 5, 2004 that this situation has been resolved.

Printing Orders: The process of Journal Entries regarding Printing Orders remains a problem for the schools. Dr.Helm proposed Rodney Jackson attend the June 21st meeting to explain the processing procedure and allow feed back from the clerical staff of how this affects their account tracking.

Transportation Proposals: Suggestions made by Marcus at the March Meeting were to be submitted to the Benefits Committee but the committee has since been dissolved. Diana Shoop said that she will work with Marcus on drafting a proposal to be submitted on the agenda.

PD for Classified: Mike Kennedy is the contact for professional development opportunities.

Spring Break: Russell contacted Mattie Katz about the scheduling of Spring Break and the KEA convention and she related that Spring Break no longer needed to be scheduled at the same time. She did say that they were asked each year for input. She suggested that it would be good to have a classified employee represented on the calendar committee. Dr. Helm said that Gary Wiseman would be asked to attend the June 21st meeting to explain how the annual school calendar is developed.

Retirement/Sick Leave Payout: Doug restated how sick leave payout is figured (see April's minutes) Diana Shoop highly suggested that every employee should verify that the retirement information on their annual statement is correct. Employees should evaluate their retirement information on a regular basis and take advantage of opportunities regarding retirement to gain as much information as possible. Diana said the website for classified employees was an excellent resource for information www.kyret.gov.

NEW BUSINESS:

INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANTS

Phyllis asked about the employee evaluation review in situations where an employee would have more than one boss with varying expectations. Particularly in situations where there is inconsistencies or incompatible differences within assignments. Diana stated that the assistants report directly to the school's principal and the principal signs the employee evaluation. Staffing compatibilities need to be resolved at the school level. Dr. Helm said that the focus should be on working as a "team" effort. With the number of assistants within a school the staff assignments have the flexibility to maintain the teams focus with few distractions.

TRANSPORTATION

Marcus asked about the Vending and Soda Machine selections and pricing in district areas that do not have student customers. Can this be changed? This issue was originally proposed in October 2003 and never resolved. Dr. Helm said that Linda Martin would be asked to attend the June 21st meeting to give input on pricing and selections for machines frequented by adults only.

CUSTODIAL

Jo Ann asked why a person who is off work for more than fifteen day without a doctor's statement and without pay cannot be replaced sooner. Why do they wait until the middle of the next month to replace these people? Dr. Helm will have Human Resources respond to this question.

Jo Ann asked why employees are allowed to use paid leave time when the employee abandons their jobs. The handbook indicates that leave time is to be approved by the supervisor but payroll says you cannot take time without pay if you have leave time available. Dr. Helm will refer this question also to Human Resources.

Jo Ann asked about the nepotism policy for classified employees. If there is no nepotism policy why does Food Service not allow relatives to work together? Shouldn't all departments have the same rules? Dr. Helm said that Mary Browning would be invited to the June 21st meeting to respond to this inquiry.

SECRETARIAL/CLERICAL

Fay asked why the district does not provide an invoice to the schools for expenditures but will deduct the money from the school accounts without notifying the schools. The policy that is mandated by the district is to not pay a bill without an invoice. Why does this policy not apply to the district? The practice of account deductions with no notification creates havoc with the school's accounting practices and wastes valuable time doing research to discover why the account balance differs from the final reconciliation. In the past SCH notices were provided. Dr. Helm felt this should be addressed by the personnel making account deletions. Doug said this would be both the Budget and Financial Service offices.

DEPARTURE

Doug Marshall attended his last Council Meeting. Dr. Helm recognized Doug for the many years of dedication, service and integrity he has given the district. Doug's wealth of knowledge and accessibility to the classified employee will be greatly missed. Doug received a standing ovation.

The next scheduled meeting is June 21, 2004.

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