By Tracy Ouellette
SLN Staff
The board also voted July 12 to increase the costs of liquidated damages when teachers leave the district over the summer months. Starting with the 2017-18 teacher contracts, teachers leaving their positions after June 15 will be paying more in damages to the district.
If a teacher leaves between June 15 to 30, the cost to them will increase from $500 to $1,000; if they leave in July, the cost will increase from $750 to $1,500; and if they leave after Aug. 1, they will now be paying $2,000 instead of $1,000.
Hibner asked the board to increase the amounts because of the “heavy recruiting” that’s become part and parcel of filling open positions during the summer months.
“We have more transient staffing than every before,” Hibner said. “We understand staff has to leave for personal and professional reasons, but I’d like the board to consider increasing the liquidated damages a tad more and to consider requiring reimbursement for some of the more expensive training we invest in.”
Hibner said he wasn’t talking about all the professional development the district offers, which includes up to three credits a year and a variety of workshops. However, he wanted the board to think about requiring someone who left within a year of taking some of the more expensive training, like workshops that run from $1,500 to $2,000, to have to pay those costs back to the district if they left.
“It’s not to be punitive in nature,” Hibner said. “It’s intended for the district not to incur the increased cost of the training if someone immediately leaves.”
