Procedure No. 5406P

 

Leave Sharing

Consistent with RCW 28A.400.380 and WAC 392-126, a leave-sharing program is established as follows:

A. A district employee is eligible to receive donated leave if:

1. The staff member suffers from, or has a relative or household member suffering from, an extraordinary or severe illness, injury, impairment, or physical or mental condition or who has been called to service in the uniform services which has caused, or is likely to cause, the staff member to:
   1. Go on leave-without-pay status; or
   2. Terminate his/her employment;
2. The staff member's absence and the use of shared leave are justified;
3. The staff member has depleted, or will shortly deplete, his/ her annual leave and sick leave reserves;
4. The staff member has abided by district rules regarding sick leave use; and
5. The staff member has diligently pursued and been found to be ineligible to receive industrial insurance benefits.

Any employee who wishes to receive leave under this provision shall submit a request in writing to the personnel office.  The employee shall submit, prior to leave sharing approval, documentation from a licensed physician or other authorized health care practitioner verifying the severe or extraordinary nature and expected duration of the condition.

Employees meeting the criteria indicated above shall be eligible for leave sharing. A staff member shall not receive more leave than the number of normal work days remaining in the current school year.  In the event that the condition requiring the employee's absence continues beyond the current school year, the employee shall not receive a total of more than 522 days of donated leave during total district employment.

B. District employees may donate leave as follows:

1. An employee who has an accrued annual leave vacation balance of more than ten (10) days may request that the superintendent or designee transfer a specified number of days to another staff member authorized to receive shared leave. A staff member may not request leave to be transferred that would result in an accrued annual leave balance of fewer than ten (10) days.
2. A staff member who accrues annual leave and sick leave may request that the superintendent transfer sick leave to a staff member authorized to receive shared leave. A donating staff member must retain a minimum of 176 hours of sick leave after the transfer.
3. An employee who does not earn annual leave (vacation) and who has an accrued sick leave balance of more than twenty-two (22) days may request that the superintendent transfer a specified amount of sick leave to another staff member authorized to receive such leave. A staff member may not request a transfer that would result in an accrued sick leave balance of fewer than twenty-two (22) days. Sick leave as defined in the Revised Code of Washington means leaves for illness, injury, and emergencies. The number of leave days transferred shall not exceed the amount authorized by the donating staff member.
4. The value of any leave transferred under this policy which remains unused shall be returned at its original value to the staff member who donated the leave. To the extent administratively feasible, the value of unused leave which was transferred by more than one staff member shall be returned on a pro-rata value basis.
5. The Payroll Office will convert employee’s donated leave to a monetary value.  The recipient shall be paid at his/her regular rate of pay; therefore, the value of one hour of shared leave may cover more or less than one hour of the recipient’s salary.  The donated leave will be pooled among all those who donate and used by the recipient on a prorated basis.

 

(Procedure No. 5328 changed to 5406 on February 13, 2012)

 

 

Initially Adopted: June 11, 1990

Adopted: March 8, 2010

Amended: February 13, 2012

                   February 27, 2012