FAQ's

Updated as of 12/7/2020

• What is NEA Salina doing to help teachers who are exhausted and overworked?
  • Meeting with board members and board administrators on a regular basis to advocate for staff members
  • Working on a joint media campaign with the district to ask the community to, “Mask Up!”
• How does COVID leave work?
  • If you are unable to teach remotely and you are sick or quarantined, instead of using your leave, you can ask for this leave.  Please know that if you are staying home with a dependent, you are only paid 2/3 of your salary.
  • This policy is set to expire at the end of December.  Hopefully it will be renewed.
• How many staff members need to be gone before a building is forced to shut down and go remote?
  • Superintendent Exline has made it clear that this will only happen as a last resort.  Qualified staff from the board office will be used to sub when the building doesn’t have enough available staff members.
• Is the gating criteria accurate?
  • Superintendent Exline is using the most up to date information and working with the Saline County Health Department to assess conditions.  Please know that the school board and board office want to keep the doors open if at all possible.
  • There have been many rumors about the hospital being at capacity.  We have been assured that many COVID beds still remain open.
• How are modified quarantines being handled?
  • Modified quarantined classes should have shortened school days.  Classes should run a minimum of 67 minutes less than the normal school day.  This gives the teacher their plan time of 47 minutes per day (for a weekly total of 245 minutes), plus an additional 20 minutes to make up for loss of personal lunch break.
• What is being done for elementary teacher’s workloads (as they are planning for in person and quarantined students)?
  • We made it very clear to Jim Fletcher from the school board, Linn Exline, and Shanna Rector that the $1000 stipend is not fixing the issues with elementary workload.  We directly asked that reading coaches be put in charge of planning whole group reading lessons.  With health issues with administration at the board office, we have not been able to revisit this.  It may be January before we have an answer.
  • We have reached out to Mike Lowers to see if a stipend can be given to SPED teachers as well.  Look for an update soon.

Other Questions? Submit them HERE