Buried in the nearly 900 page document which is the biennial budget legislation are two sentences that impose a new requirement on boards of education. Specifically, Section 157 of Public Act 17-2 from the June Special Session provides:
Sec. 157. (NEW)(Effective from passage) Any local board of education shall file forthwith a signed copy of any contract for administrative personnel with the town clerk, which town clerk shall post a copy of any such contract on the town’s Internet web site. Any regional board of education shall file a copy of any such contract with the town clerk in each member town, which town clerk shall post a copy of any such contract on the town’s Internet web site.
The term “administrative personnel” is not defined. While this term could be interpreted to include any number of individuals, it most certainly is aimed at posting any written (and signed) contracts for a district’s top administrators, such as the Superintendent, Assistant/Deputy Superintendents, Business Managers, Special Ed Directors, Facility Directors, and similar positions. While it arguably also covers collective bargaining agreements for the school district’s certified administrators, because those already must be filed with the Town Clerk, it is not likely intended to apply to such contracts.
Beyond the above, it is also feasible that the legislation would apply to non-certified “administrative personnel” such as central office personnel, including the Superintendents Secretary, the Personnel/HR Director and IT Personnel. Arguably, the requirement also extends to collective bargaining agreements with any non-certified unions which represent administrative personnel.
Accordingly, until there is further clarification, districts should err on the safe side and consider providing all such documents to the Town Clerk.