Assistant Principals' Vacation Policy Clarified

BROOKSVILLE - Secondary assistant principals are now getting the same rights as other 12-month employees in the Hernando County School District.

That was the decision made during a school board workshop Tuesday, in which board members adjusted the vacation expectations they had placed on assistant principals for local middle and high schools.

Previously, secondary assistant principals were told they must use their vacation days within the 12-month period in which they were earned, or forfeit them. But they were the only 12-month employees being told to do so. The rest of the district's administrators were permitted to accumulate vacation leave.

The issue was initially brought before the school board after a March 18 meeting, in which staff members noted that the expectation was not official board policy.

"The request was to either change the policy or allow secondary assistant principals to accrue and use vacation days in the same manner as (other 12-month employees)," said Heather Martin, the district's executive director of business services.

According to district policy, all 12-month employees can be paid for a maximum of 480 hours of accumulated vacation leave. For time accrued prior to 2001, the maximum was 500 hours.

Board members decided to change the practice Tuesday after staff contacted surrounding districts - Citrus, Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough and Polk Counties - and realized that Hernando was the only county that had varying expectations regarding vacation for 12-month employees.