By Sarah Campbell
scampbell@salisburypost.com
State employees will receive five additional vacation days to use at their leisure this fiscal year, but teachers won’t have that luxury.
“Teachers are not given the same privilege of using the bonus days as everyone else like custodians, teacher assistants, clerical staff, maintenance, central office staff and so forth,” said Linda Freeze, a member of the Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education.
Tara Trexler, chief financial officer for the Rowan-Salisbury School System, said the N.C. Department of Public Instruction has advised that those annual days cannot be taken when class is in session.
“If you require a substitute you cannot take an instructional day when students are there because there is going to be an additional cost to our state, local or federal budgets depending on how the position is funded,” she said.
Trexler said the district’s teachers have a couple of options to ensure they use the days before they expire at the end of the year.
Teachers can use the days during optional teacher workdays Aug. 15 and June 11.
Trexler said they can also take the bonus days in lieu of required annual leave time. Those days are Nov. 21, Dec. 27 through Dec. 31, Feb. 18 and April 1 through April 5.
Those annual leave days can then be saved for use at another time. Up to 30 annual leave days can be accrued through June 30 with additional time turning into sick leave, Trexler said.
“That doesn’t sound like a negative option to me,” school board member Kay Wright Norman said.
During a recent school board meeting, Freeze said she’s been contacted by several people regarding the bonus days.
“Would it be possible to revisit the calendar and build in a few more optional days for our teachers,” she said. “Our teachers work extremely hard and deserve the same consideration as others.”
But Trexler said that’s not an option.
“I’m sure we’re not the only ones sitting in this boat,” she said. “Other districts with the same calendar restrictions and limitations are probably facing the same thing.”
Those limitations include a 215-day calendar, five of which will account for staff development this year, and designated start and end dates of Aug. 25 and June 10.
The Cabarrus County schools system is taking a similar approach.
“We are using the bonus days as the first five required leave days that are built into the calendar,” spokeswoman Ronnye Boone said.
Teachers can opt out of that plan, she said, but that would only be beneficial to teachers planning to retire this year.
“If the calendar restrictions are changed or lifted in the future, the leave will be in their annual leave balances and can be used at their discretion.”
Rowan-Salisbury officials have also said they would also like to add more optional days if the calendar limitations allowed.
Spokeswoman Ellen Boyd said the Kannapolis City school district has yet to decide how to handle the bonus days. The issue will be addressed during a principals’ meeting Thursday.
Contact reporter Sarah Campbell at 704-797-7683.
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