The Baldwin County Board of Education approved a policy in 2007 allocating three additional days of personal leave for full-time employees, but school staff may be asked to temporarily give up those days in 2010 to help save jobs during the economic downturn.

“We wanted the board to consider addressing the issue,” Jean McCutchen, chief financial officer, said.

Tracey Roberts, District 7 board member and BOE president, said the BOE would need time to “digest the information” and figures McCutchen presented before making any kind of decision about policy revision.

At the Dec. 9 BOE work session at Robertsdale Elementary, McCutchen told the board the additional days do not necessarily have to be taken away, but said the board should consider temporarily freezing them.

The additional three days of leave were intended to provide employees with more leave, according to McCutchen.

To take the three additional personal days, $50 per day is deducted from the employee’s pay, according to BOE policy.

McCutchen said the personal days not utilized by the staff are rolled over the next year into sick leave, and according to her analysis, approximately 89 percent of the days allocated for the additional personal leave in 2008 rolled over.

Alabama law does not place a limit on the amount of sick leave an employee can accumulate.

“If everyone used those days, and we had to pay substitute teacher costs, that is $600,000,” McCutchen said.

“Six-hundred thousand dollars is 12 to 18 jobs,” District 4 board member Norm Moore commented.

McCutchen said the school system is concerned about the current economic environment and is looking diligently for ways to save costs instead of cutting back on personal.

“Does it mean that the employees we do have are going to have to be inconvenienced or make sacrifices — yes,” McCutchen said.

 McCutchen said the school system cannot cut salaries or deny people what they are entitled to under the law, but said benefits may have to be tightened in an effort to reduce budgets and not reduce staff.

“If the rainy day bails us out for 2009, our biggest hit is going to be in 2010,” McCutchen said.

McCutchen said the board has several options regarding the policy.

“(The board) can freeze giving the extra days for a year or until further evaluation. That is one option,” McCutchen said. “But, what would be an upcoming impact for 2010 would be to not allow it to roll into sick leave.”

Either option would require a revision to board policy.

“We are looking at ourselves and everything we can to cut costs rather than lay off a large number of employees.” McCutchen said.