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DOWNSIZING IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS: RIF PLANS,

PROCEDURES AND PITFALLSPresented by:

R. Craig Woodcwood@mcguirewoods.com

www.mcguirewoods.com

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Practical Framework• Reductions in Force are a way to save costs by

reducing the cost of compensation• There are also alternative ways

– Salary and benefit reductions

– Furloughs

– Mandatory use of paid time off

– Reduced work schedules

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The Legal Framework• Va. Code §22.1-304• A school board may reduce the number of

teachers, whether or not such teachers have reached continuing contract status, because of decrease in enrollment or abolition of particular subjects.

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The Legal Framework• Va. Code §22.1-304• “Nothing in the continuing contract shall be

construed to authorize the school board to contract for any financial obligation beyond the period for which funds have been made available with which to meet such obligation.”

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Legal Framework

• School boards must notify teachers who may be subject to layoff due to a decrease in the board’s budget within two weeks of approval of the budget by the appropriating body, or June 1, whichever is earlier.

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Legal Framework• Other than the notice provision, the Code and

Regulations are silent on the procedures boards should follow to enact reductions in force

• Accordingly, boards are free to develop their own procedures

• The procedures are generally set out in policy and the regulations enacting policy. Very important to review, update, know and follow your board policy

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So How Do You RIF Effectively?

• Identify and determine your objectives• Budget realities – How much money do you have?• Residual effects – What will your workforce look

like after Downsizing is implemented?• What do you need – What skills, abilities and

talents do you need to meet your objectives?

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Analyze your work forceWhat do you have:

• Certifications and endorsements/Highly Qualified teachers/Provisionally endorsed teachers

• Experience (in district and overall)• Tenure• Extra-curricular activities• Diversity elements (age, gender, race, etc.)• Special skills (foreign languages; bookkeeping

skills; nursing experience; EMT training)• Performance (evaluations)

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Develop a Plan

• Envision new workforce – What is the best post-Downsizing workforce you can create?

• Involve existing employees by effective communication to get buy-in that this is a fair and equitable process.

• Seniority is the easy way, but don’t buy into the myth that it is the best way. Make it a factor, but never let it be the “trump card.”

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Develop a Plan

• Know the law. Non-tenured staff can be released simply by appropriate and timely notices.

• Virginia law does not give preferences to continuing contract teachers in RIF situations. Board may layoff continuing contract teachers and retain probationary teachers, and may make certain positions immune from layoff.

• Underwood v. Henry County School Board, 245 Va. 127 (1993).

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Select employees

– Use objective criteria as much as possible.

– Use performance appraisals to retain the best and the brightest

– Underlying assumption is Kids Come First – so retain your best teachers

– Reduce risk of discrimination claims – The greatest legal risk.

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Consider exit incentives/releases

– Outsourcing assistance.– Early retirement incentive plans– Recall rights.

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Discrimination Claims

• When discrimination is alleged in the context of a reduction in force, the plaintiff must prove (1) he or she was a member of a protected class; (2) he or she was performing to the employer’s legitimate expectations; (3) he or she was terminated; and (4) similarly situated employees outside the protected class were treated more favorably.

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Protected classes

• Female• Racial minority• Foreign national• Religious minority• Over 40• Disabled

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Measuring “legitimate expectations:”

• Evaluation scores• Tenure/seniority (in the relevant job)• Continued employment in the past

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Termination

• Layoff or RIF• Significant demotion or reduction in status• Non-renewal of contract

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Similarly-situated employees

• Comparators• Evaluations (apples v. oranges?)• Statistics• Relevant characteristics

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Assessing the Risk of Discrimination Claims

• Analyze age, race, sex, disability status and other EEO categories. Be aware that employees might assert claims because they are pregnant, are caring for newborns or sick family members, or otherwise covered by ADA, FMLA, or workers compensation. It is wise to look at the group of employees targeted for layoff, and to determine whether statistically they appear to be different than the overall workforce.

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Avoiding Discrimination Claims

• Attempt to structure the RIF to avoid the appearance that employees in a protected group were targeted.

• Alternative methods are available that allow consideration of performance, endorsements, coaching assignments and other such factors.

• Another method is to establish a Downsizing Committee.

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The Downsizing Plan

• Provide justification for the layoff;• Determine the extent of the layoffs,

including which schools, programs, departments or activities will be affected;

• Create a process to determine which employees will be terminated;

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The Downsizing Plan

• Provide an internal review procedure for termination decisions and employee complaints;

• Consider a severance pay program favors employees who sign a waiver of legal claims;

• Develop an appropriate waiver of claims form; and

• Determine to what extent employees will have recall rights, and when those rights will end.

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Selection Criteria - Objective

• Seniority

• Job Elimination

• Compensation Level

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Subjective criteria

• Evaluations • Performance• “Importance” to district or school• “Future potential”

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Fine-Tuning the Downsizing Plan• If the selection process is one that involves

evaluating an employee’s performance, develop criteria based on the actual job descriptions;

• Train administrators and supervisors who will be conducting the employee evaluations in evaluating the selection criteria;

• Subject performance-based downsizing evaluations to several layers of review to guarantee accuracy and non-discriminatory motives;

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Fine-Tuning the Downsizing Plan

• Conduct a disparate impact analysis on the proposed layoff list to ensure that a disproportionate number of EEO – protected employees are not subject to layoff; and

• Implement the waiver and release procedure to extinguish any potential claims.

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Furloughs

• There is the possibility that there could be a funding shortfall during the year due to a decrease in state or federal funding from that which was budgeted

• In that event a school board might want to consider a furlough of all employees rather than a RIF of some employees

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Furloughs

• A school board may implement temporary furloughs of employees including instructional personnel if there are insufficient funds for the school board to meet its financial obligations.

• 8 VAC 20-440, et seq. states that school boards shall not be obligated to contractual salary terms unless and until sufficient funds are approved by the appropriating body.

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Furloughs• A temporary furlough may not extend longer than

one contract year• Furloughs on teachers may not exceed 10 days

total during a contract year• 8 VAC 20-440-20 provides that up to 10 days of

the 10-month, 200-day contract may be “activities as may be assigned or approved by the local school board.” This includes furloughs.

• See Supt’s Memo #202-10 (August 20,2010).

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