APS, I understand there are questions about the student non-contact day this Friday and I apologize for any confusion. I want to share a few quick points to address the issues that have been brought to my attention: First, the Board has not taken any kind of formal position on anything related to this matter. The Board can only act by vote at a noticed public meeting and there has been no such meeting or vote. Any communication that the Board has taken a position was in error. Second, the 30 person limit on Special Leave has not been lifted by district administrators. The leave policy is part of the Master Agreement negotiated between the Board and AEA. District administrators, including me, do not have the authority to unilaterally change or limit this policy. CEA is encouraging districts to take whatever action they can, which is “consistent with their contracts.” This is what we have done. Third, the District has been advised by legal counsel that the Board cannot change the leave policy or make a onetime exemption for this purpose. If the Board were to change policy for the express purpose of facilitating attendance at this event, it would be an act of the District using taxpayer dollars to support a political activity. For various reasons, such an expenditure is not allowed. Fourth, staff may submit for a personal day. However, the contractual limit on Special Leave for licensed staff has been reached. Staff members who were unable to obtain Special Leave are limited to taking the day as Leave without Pay, which is a leave status that we are not denying nor approving. To take the day as Leave without Pay, staff should work with their site secretary to ensure the leave is entered correctly. Any staff member who reports Health Leave may be asked by their immediate supervisor for documentation from their physician. Health Leave taken without the requested supporting documentation will be considered Leave without Pay. In the event a classified or APT staff member does not report to work on Friday, they too will be required to use the appropriate leave for the day. Finally, it is important to point out that APS has taken the same approach to this issue as every other district. Across the metro area, like APS, districts responded to close school only after verifying that significant reported absences were going to occur. Also like APS, districts are requiring staff to follow their established leave policies. To the extent there are differences, those are a reflection of the different Master Agreement provisions across districts. I want to assure you that K-12 education funding adequacy and teacher voice are very important issues that we want to continue to support in a variety of ways. In March, I submitted a joint op-ed to the Aurora Sentinel arguing for significant increases in school funding. Further, I am currently working with a group of superintendents to issue a position paper supporting the call for increased school funding in general and increased teacher pay in particular. While I believe we must fight for these issues, we have obligations and limitations I must respect. We must balance what are at times conflicting interests, as you must do, as we work to improve K-12 education. ______________________________________________________________ Rico Munn Superintendent Aurora Public Schools 303-365-7800 “My job is to accelerate learning for every APS student, every day. I do my job by making sure we have the right people, doing the right work, with the right resources in the right way. My community needs me to do my job.”