May 2006

VOL. 16 NO. 10

Insert 2: Download sick leave form - Donated from sick leave

David Harcourt, Chairperson of the CCASAPE Nominations and Elections Committee, and committee members Dave Erbach and Mark Gums remind all administrators that they are seeking candidates to run for the CCASAPE Executive Board and the Representative Council. School telephone numbers for the members of the CCASAPE nominating committee are as follows:

David Harcourt 799-1899
Dave Erbach 799-3020
Mark Gums 799-5850

Members interested in serving on the Executive Board and/or Representative Council may contact one of the individuals on the Nominations and Elections Committee or the CCASAPE office at 796-9602.

This committee will propose a slate of candidates for nomination at the June 1, 2006, general membership meeting to be held at the Palace Station Hotel. Whenever possible, there will be a minimum of two (2) candidates for each office to be filled. Additional nominations, with the consent of the person being nominated, may be made at the June general membership meeting.

Executive Board offices to be filled during the election include President Elect (must be an active CCASAPE member who is an elementary school administrator), secretary and treasurer. The offices of secretary and treasurer are open to anyone who is an active CCASAPE member. Candidates receiving a majority of votes cast by mail ballot shall be elected to the office. These offices are for a one (1) year term. The Executive Board is the decision-making body for the School Administrators’ Welfare Trust.

Four (4) Representative Council positions are elected each year. The four (4) at-large positions are filled by the four (4) at-large candidates receiving the greatest number of votes. These positions are for a two (2) year term.

CCASAPE encourages members to run for office. The Executive Board and Representative Council are the decision-making bodies of CCASAPE.

The CCASAPE general membership meeting will be held on Thursday, June 1, 2006, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Palace Station Hotel. The CCASAPE business meeting will begin at approximately 4:45 p.m. During the CCASAPE meeting, members will:

1. Be provided a review of the highlights of 2005-2006;

2. Receive the proposed slate of candidates for the June election and be provided an opportunity to nominate additional candidates;

3. Receive a copy of the 2006-2007 CCASAPE budget;

4. Participate in the recognition of retiring administrators; and

5. Have the opportunity to socialize with their current colleagues, as well as, those who have retired.

The Clark County Association of Secondary School Principals and the Clark County Association of Elementary School Principals will hold end-of-the year business meetings at the same location beginning at 4:00 p.m. Food and beverages will be provided. 

As you know, the Clark County School District requires that all professional organizations communicate with their members through the U.S. Postal Service rather than the CCSD mail. In order for CCASAPE to ensure that you receive its communications, it is critical that we be notified when you have a change of address. If you have moved recently, please call Debbie or Sadie in the CCASAPE office (796-9602) and provide your new address. For active administrators, the District should also be notified since we purchase labels from the District for our large group mailings.

All administrators recently signed contracts for the 2006-2007 school year. Be reminded that the 2006-2007 contract reflects a 4% salary increase that represents pass through money from the Nevada State Legislature and any applicable step increase earned by the administrator. The 2006-2007 administrative contracts, by design, do not include supplemental contracts. Supplemental contracts will be issued separately to qualifying administrators on or about June 1, 2006.

Additionally, during contract negotiations with the District in 2005, CCASAPE negotiated a change in eligibility for advancement from Step F to Step G on the Administrative Salary Schedule. Eligibility for placement on Step G previously required placement on any Step F for four years and beginning his/her 21st year in the District. The 21st year requirement has been reduced to the 18th year. Administrators are encouraged to examine their contracts to ensure that they have been placed correctly.

Principals are also reminded that Article 20-11-5 in the Negotiated Agreement between the Clark County School District and the Clark County Association of School Administrators and Professional-technical Employees outlines the process and procedure for the required annual review of each principal position in the District. The review occurs annually, after count day in September. It is anticipated that Human Resources will complete the analysis of all required data and will notify those principals who have changes in their classification point factors by early October 2006. Any change in classification factors which results in a salary increase will be paid beginning on the October 25th pay date and will be retroactive to the first day of the contract (July 1 or August 1). If the analysis of the position results in a lower range placement, there will be NO decrease in salary for the contract year. The recently signed contracts DO NOT reflect any changes in reclassification point factors for the 2006-2007 school year, including elementary schools that may be converted to year round status. If an elementary school is converting to year round, the contract length will reflect the additional month resulting in a 12 month contract and the year round school stipend.

Classification factors for school and non-school based administrators may be viewed at www.ccsd.net/jobs. Open the map link and scroll to reclassification information under the administrative personnel department. Individual school information can be found by opening the link entitled Reclassification Sites 2005-06.

Please contact the CCASAPE office at 796-9602 if you have questions regarding your placement on the Administrative Salary Schedule or general questions regarding administrative reclassification. Jan Urioste at 799-2915 can answer specific questions regarding school site point factors.

Administrators not assigned a District car or provided transportation in a District vehicle and who, at the time of their appointment / reassignment, live forty or more miles one way from their assigned work location shall receive an annual stipend of $1,500. The District shall pay eligible administrators in one check on or before June 25. Assignments of less than a full contract year shall be prorated.

Administrators should notify their region supervisor in writing if they believe they are eligible to receive the mileage stipend.

Article 28 of the Agreement between the Clark County School District and the Clark County Association of School Administrators and Professional-technical Employees states that an employee about to undergo an investigatory interview is entitled to an association representative and reasonable notice shall be given. There have been occasions recently in which administrators who have been given notice of an investigation attended the investigatory conference without an association representative. CCASAPE strongly encourages all CCASAPE members to contact the CCASAPE office prior to an investigatory conference to ensure that arrangements can be made for appropriate representation.

Additionally, all administrators are reminded that the Agreement between the District and CCASAPE allows the notice of an investigatory conference to be sent via e-mail or fax, but only at the request of the receiving administrator. A notice of investigatory conference which is faxed or e-mailed without such a request constitutes a violation of the Agreement.

Article 28 of the Negotiated Agreement between the Clark County School District and the Clark County Association of School Administrators and Professional-technical Employees provides this guarantee and is reprinted below for your information:

28-1 An administrator about to undergo an investigatory interview is entitled to an association representative or another representative and reasonable notice shall be given. Reasonable notice shall mean notification not later than the day prior to the actual meeting except when circumstances may require a prompt investigatory interview. Any and all notices of the supervisor’s desire to hold a conference with an administrator shall include the subject of the conference. The notice must be provided verbally, physically handed to the administrator, forwarded by certified or registered mail, or at the request of the administrator faxed or e-mailed.

28-2 After notice has been given and in the interest of expediting a resolution to a disciplinary problem, the School District may require an administrator to choose between participating in an investigatory interview without representation or not being interviewed. All investigatory interviews must be held within the administrator’s work day as defined in Article 15.

28-3 An administrator’s right to representation during the course of an interview arises if the supervising administrator takes any steps beyond merely informing the administrator of a disciplinary action.

The current Agreement between the Clark County School District and the Clark County Association of School Administrators and Professional-technical Employees establishes a pool of sick leave days available to administrators who have no other available leave and outlines two methods by which administrators may donate days to the sick leave pool.

Method One: (Click here to download form)
The pool of days is created by administrators who voluntarily designate a half day or a full day of vacation for which they would otherwise be compensated under Article 18-4. Administrators must have in excess of 85 vacation days on June 30 to be eligible to donate days to the sick leave pool.

Method Two: (Click here to download form)
During the 2005-2006 contract negotiations, an additional mechanism was developed that allows administrators to donate sick leave days to the CCASAPE sick leave pool. Administrators will be eligible to donate a day of sick leave when they have accumulated 60 or more days and have utilized three (3) or fewer days of sick leave during the current contract year, 2005-2006.

Form letters are provided in this edition of the Unifier for your use if you would like to designate a half day or a full day of vacation (Method One) or a full day of sick leave (Method Two).

The criteria identified in Method One or Method Two must be met in order for you to donate to the sick leave pool.

YOUR GENEROSITY TODAY WILL BE A CRITICAL PIECE IN THE WELFARE OF A CCASAPE MEMBER IN THE FUTURE.

As you know, upon retirement or separation from the school district, retiring administrators who are 55 or older or who will turn 55 during the calendar year they retire or separate from the District will automatically have some or all of their vacation payoff deposited into the 403(b) Vacation Pay Plan. Up to $44,000 may be sheltered, but the exact amount to be sheltered may not exceed plan year income. The amount eligible to be sheltered will also be reduced by the amount already sheltered in your 403(b) voluntary tax shelter plan. Participating administrators will avoid the payment of Medicare tax, if applicable, and will postpone and possibly reduce the payment of federal income tax.

As you are aware, administrators who are younger than 55 during the year they retire or separate from the District are not eligible to participate in this 403(b) Vacation Pay Plan. Many administrators retiring younger than 55 have expressed concern that they are not able to participate in the 403(b) Plan, but yet would like to shelter a portion or all of the final vacation payoff.

Administrators younger than 55 are still eligible to shelter all or part of the vacation payoff by establishing a voluntary 403(b) account or a 457 account through the District Benefits Office. Administrators 50 or older can shelter up to $20,000 in a voluntary 403(b) account and an additional $20,000 in a 457 account ($40,000 total). Administrators under 50 can shelter up to $15,000 in each account ($30,000 total). In this manner, a portion of the vacation payoff at retirement can be sheltered if these accounts do not exceed the maximum contributions during the plan year coinciding with retirement. Staff in the Benefits Office can assist administrators with establishing these accounts.

On May 1, 2006, information was mailed to all retirees participating in the $100,000 group life insurance policy. Retirees are reminded that premiums for the life insurance policy are due to School Administrators Welfare Trust not later than June 1, 2006. Additionally, those retirees wishing to remain as affiliate members, must also remit their annual dues of $30.00 by June 1, 2006. If RETIREES have questions regarding the procedures or pricing associated with the renewal of the life insurance policy or the affiliate membership, please contact the CCASAPE office at 796 9602.

On May 11, 2006, the CCASAPE Representative Council held its regular monthly meeting. The major items discussed, reviewed, and/or actions taken during the regular meeting included the following:

1. The revenue, expenditures, and balances within the CCASAPE Association and Trust Fund Accounts were reviewed;

2. The status of:
A. Public Employees Retirement System – Authorization was previously provided for Stephen to draft a letter to the PERS Board in support of the PERS staff position not to support any of the proposed amendments or post retirement increases. The draft letter was reviewed with the council members;

B. Standard Dental Insurance – Ongoing customer service issues with Standard were reviewed. Standard has agreed to a new internal procedure that will more easily facilitate participant address changes and has agreed to utilize the Sierra Health enrollment information to substantiate student enrollment status;

C. Health and Life Insurance Benefits for Retirees – Stephen reviewed the current status of health and life insurance benefits for retirees who are not CCASAPE members during the time they are active administrators and reviewed the status of a CCASAPE response to the CCSD draft EMRB complaint. The response is being written by CCASAPE attorneys;

D. CCASAPE Scholarship Recipients – CCASAPE Scholarship recipients for the 2005-2006 school year were announced. Scholarship checks in the amount of $1000 will be presented to Andrew Green and Andrew Hybarger at the May 25 Board meeting by Cathy Conger, CCASAPE President;

3. New Business:
A. General Membership Meeting – The general membership meeting has been scheduled for June 1, 2006, at the Palace Station Hotel;

B. Projected Unused Sick Leave / Retiree Medical Payouts – The Representative Council approved the payouts as listed;

C. May 23, 2006, Administrators’ Advisory Council Meeting – Tentative agenda items for the May 23rd meeting were identified;

D. TASC (Tax and Spending Control of Nevada) – Gubernatorial candidate Bob Beers’ proposal to limit government spending to population growth and the rate of inflation was reviewed;

4. Committee Reports:
A. CCAESP – Charles Anderson, CCAESP President, reported on the status of discussion items with Dr. Kohut-Rost and outlined plans for the May social to be held at the Bahama Breeze restaurant. Tentative date for the social is Wednesday, May 17, 2006;

B. CCASSP – No report provided; and

C. Legal Committee – Bart Mangino, committee chairperson, reported there was no Legal Committee activity.

5. Executive Director’s Report – Stephen provided a review of the accountant report, the membership report, and the various CCASAPE activities and the types of assistance provided to CCASAPE members.

Article 18 of the Negotiated Agreement between the Clark County School District and the Clark County Association of School Administrators and Professional-technical Employees allows for the annual payment for up to five vacation days in excess of 85 as of June 30. The following procedure is being provided for your information.

Administrators will be compensated at the administrator’s daily rate of pay for up to five (5) of the vacation days in excess of 85 as of June 30. Payment will be made in the July 25 check and it is not subject to PERS payment. Administrators not desiring to be compensated for these days may stop the payment by notifying Audrey Noriega (799-5351) on or before July 1, 2006.

Vacation days in excess of 85 as of June 30 for which compensation is not provided must be used on or before August 31, 2006, or these days will be deducted from the total vacation days on September 1, 2006. The vacation days earned in July 2006 and August 2006 are not deducted on September 1, 2006.

All administrators are reminded that the CCASAPE / CCSD Health Benefits Plan is a customized plan that is negotiated with five different providers: Sierra Health, Standard Dental, Vision Services Plan, UNUM (long term disability) and Standard Life Insurance Company. Under the medical coverage, administrators and retirees are able to choose from two very different POS plans or select an HMO plan. Each of these plans have been developed during lengthy negotiations between CCASAPE staff, the CCASAPE broker, and Sierra Health officials. The plan is then approved by your elected representatives.

The customized CCASAPE plans provide medical benefits to approximately 1500 active and retired administrators and their dependents. CCASAPE strongly recommends that every administrator become very familiar with the benefit levels and covered services provided in the customized CCASAPE / CCSD Health Benefits Plans. If there is confusion regarding billing or covered services, administrators should contact the dedicated member services number on the back of the health insurance card, access the customer service numbers reprinted regularly in the Unifier, or contact the CCASAPE office for assistance at 796-9602.