NASA and NASB Labor Relations

Cornhusker Marriott

NASA and NASB
Labor Relations 2019

Pre-registration is now closed.  Drop by the onsite registration desk to attend.

This annual joint event brings together School Administrators and School Board Members to provide information on negotiations, legal updates, and best practices for labor relations.  

Schedule
Wednesday, September 11
12:30 p.m.      Registration Open
1:00 p.m.        The ABCs of Negotiations with Rex Schultze, Perry, Guthery, Haase & Gessford, P.C., L.L.O.
The single biggest part of a school district's budget is personnel costs. Salaries and benefits alone usually represent around 90% of a district's total expenses. Therefore, it is absolutely essential that a district understand the negotiation process and legal requirements in order to ensure that these expenses are reasonable and a good use of taxpayer dollars. In this session, Rex will walk through the negotiations process and offer practical suggestions heading into the 2019-2020 negotiations timeline. 

Thursday, September 12
7:30 a.m.        Registration & Continental Breakfast 
                        Exhibits Open
8:15 a.m.       Welcome & Opening Keynote: Attitude of a Champion  with Aaron Davis
School administrators and board members are often faced with many challenges from budgets, new regulations, legislation, administrative duties, building needs, etc. 
Like any career, some stresses and challenges are part of the territory. These are big issues, but so is the number of school administrators and board members that simply burn out as a result of giving their best at school and leaving only leftovers for their home and personal lives. This presentation will rejuvenate, refuel, and remind attendees of the importance of being GREAT at school and saving their BEST for HOME!
9:30 a.m.         Break 
9:45 a.m.         Concurrent Sessions I  
10:45 a.m.       Break 
11:00 a.m.       Concurrent Sessions II 
12:00 p.m.       Luncheon
1:00 p.m.         Concurrent Sessions III
2:00 p.m.         Break
2:15 p.m.         Concurrent Sessions IV
3:15 p.m.         Adjourn

Concurrent Sessions

9:45-10:45
HR Hot Topics with Nebraska Association of School Personnel Administrators – Arbor 1
Lance Fuller, Kearney Public Schools
Mitchell Mollring, Millard Public Schools
Kati Settles, Papillion-La Vista Community Schools
Dr. Enid Schonewise, Westside Community Schools
Robert Seybert, Lincoln Public Schools
Just like all areas of business, human resources can be a moving target.  Changes in legislation, legal action, society, technology and more impact how you manage your human resources.  Join this expert panel of school personnel leaders in Nebraska to learn best practices and have the opportunity to ask all of your burning HR questions.

Hiring Practices and the Law: You can't say any of that! – Hawthorn
Steve Williams and Bobby Truhe, KSB School Law
Employee hiring is a rare area where every board member, administrator, department head, and other staff who participate in the process have to know the law cold, or risk engaging in discriminatory or other unlawful hiring practices.  We routinely get many of the same questions related to hiring: What exactly can you ask about disability and fitness for the job, and when?  Can we exclude anyone with a criminal conviction from consideration?  What does Nebraska's "ban the box" criminal background check require again?  And what about the veterans' preference law?  Do you have to post job openings?  Are job descriptions required, or just a good idea? What can/can't we ask in our job application? This presentation will address these and other common mistakes, misconceptions, and pitfalls to avoid in the hiring process.

FMLA – Arbor 2
Greg Perry and Josh Schauer, Perry Law Firm
The FMLA has been around for more than twenty-five years, but the intricacies of the law continue to cause concerns.  Parts of the law are straightforward, but complex issues can arise.  Plus, the FMLA is a law that schools frequently have to address.  In this session, Greg Perry and Josh Schauer of the Perry Law Firm will cover the FMLA basics as well as new developments and details you need to be familiar with.  This will include discussion of new case law and practical guidance in dealing with FMLA-related issues. The ADA will also, inevitably, make its way into the discussion.  

Pupil Transportation Update on Rule 91 and 92 – Olive Branch
Mick Anderson, Nebraska Safety Center
Rule 91 and 92 have been approved and become effective on July 1, 2019.  In this session we will walk you through the changes and what steps you need to take as a Transportation Director to ensure your school is in compliance. 

11:00-12:00
HR Hot Topics with Nebraska Association of School Personnel Administrators – Arbor 1
Lance Fuller, Kearney Public Schools
Mitchell Mollring, Millard Public Schools
Kati Settles, Papillion-La Vista Community Schools
Dr. Enid Schonewise, Westside Community Schools
Robert Seybert, Lincoln Public Schools
Just like all areas of business, human resources can be a moving target.  Changes in legislation, legal action, society, technology and more impact how you manage your human resources.  Join this expert panel of school personnel leaders in Nebraska to learn best practices and have the opportunity to ask all of your burning HR questions.

The ABC's of the FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) – Arbor 2
Justin Knight, Perry Law Firm
This session will walk through the requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act and address common FLSA issues in Nebraska school districts.

Prepare Like Yogi: Negotiations is 90% data and the other half is mental. – Hawthorn
Karen Haase and Shari Russell, KSB School Law
If a Fortune 500 board of directors walked into a labor negotiation with a blank notebook, no data, and no legal review of their collective bargaining agreement, they'd be removed on the spot!  Yet, too often we see boards (and sometimes administrators) waltz into negotiations with very little preparation or planning because, "We have a good association and always settle in a meeting or two."  That's great, until it's not.  With ever-decreasing resources and a tough ag economy, most schools still overwhelmingly spend more on staff than any other expenses combined, yet negotiations don't "start" in the minds of many well-intended board members until that first bargaining session.  Not all data and comp studies are created equally, so understanding the inputs, outputs, and decision-making processes in the collective bargaining laws is key.  This presentation will focus, step-by-step, on how school attorneys wish every board prepared for negotiations, whether you are expecting a "fight" or expecting to settle night 1.

Standard Response Protocol – Olive Branch
Jolene Palmer – Nebraska Department of Education
The Standard Response Protocol (SRP) is a critical ingredient in the safe school recipe and the uniform classroom immediate response to any incident. Weather events, fires, accidents, intruders and other threats to student safety are scenarios that are planned and trained for by school and district administration and staff.  By standardizing the vocabulary, all stakeholders can understand the response and status of the incident.  NDE is leading the charge for standardization of response statewide for all schools.  Students, staff, parents, and community members will be better prepared for immediate response to situations in any school they may be attending for school or school activities.

1:00-2:00 
School Finance: A Better Understanding – Arbor 1
Bryce Wilson, Nebraska Department of Education
From basic State Aid concepts and projections, to the use of school district funds and budgeting and ESSA reporting. This session will address a variety of issues related to school finance.

Workplace Hiring, Evaluation and Discipline of Classified Employees – Arbor 2
Jim Gessford, Perry Law Firm
Many administrators have asked questions like:  Do I really need a contract? Aren’t all classified employees at-will?  Why do I need to evaluate them?  In this session Jim Gessford will cover the legal “need-to-know” principles about why the hiring, evaluation and discipline of classified employees is an essential part of today’s successful schools.

Avoiding Employment Discrimination: If it's not I, IV, 504, VI or VII...it's IX! – Hawthorn
Karen Haase and Coady Pruett, KSB School Law
Welcome to the jungle--the employment (anti-discrimination) law jungle: FMLA, ADA, FLSA, First Amendment, Fourth Amendment, Title VI, Title VII, Title IX, and Section 504.  Yes, are just a few of the ways a school board member, administrator, other employees, and even third parties can discriminate against your staff members in ways that can subject your school or ESU to liability and damages.  This presentation will look at the most recent cases, agency enforcement trends, and trouble areas in employment discrimination law, including unlawful employment actions and how to avoid them.  Leave those biases and the "way we've always done it" at the door!

2:15 – 3:15
EHA Health Benefits vs Utilization – Arbor 1
Gregory Long - Educators Health Alliance
Cortney Ray – Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska
Cortney and Greg will look to teach members the difference between a PPO and High Deductible Health plan.  Once differences are understood we will look into individual examples to explain advantages between the plans.  The EHA wants members to be able have to tools to make an informed decision between the two plans.

Looking for the Next Best Thing: Contracting, Evaluating, and Ethics for Coaches – Arbor 2
Haleigh Carlson and Josh Schauer, Perry Law Firm
Many high school athletes spend a lot of time with coaches and assistant coaches, including volunteers.  It is thus crucial that schools work to ensure the people who spend so much time with students are trustworthy.  In this presentation, attorneys from the Perry Law Firm will cover a variety of topics regarding coaches or other extra curricular leaders including hiring, qualifications, removal, and compensation.  This presentation will also have a component discussing policies your school can implement to help protect your students and coaches from unwanted litigation.

Hot Topics in Labor, Employment, and Negotiations – Hawthorn
Karen Haase, Bobby Truhe, Steve Williams, and Coady Pruett; KSB School Law
It needs no explanation! We'll pick some of the most important and informative topics in labor and employment law and share them with you in a fast-paced session which will leave you wanting...to retire or resign.  Just kidding.  Bring your questions and sense of humor!

Lodging Information
Cornhusker Marriott
333 S. 13th Street - Lincoln, NE 68508
Reservations: (800) 228-9290
Mention: NCSA Labor Conference 2019
Rate: $105 + tax
Book by August 27, 2019

Exhibits and Sponsors
Labor Relations 2019 is just around the corner and your don't want to miss this year's event!  Labor Relations is held annually for 150-300 Superintendents and School Board Members.  This year's conference will be held September 11-12 at the Cornhusker Marriott in Lincoln, Nebraska.

CLICK HERE to downlad additional information and opportunities with exhibit and sponsor forms.  Exhibit space and sponsorship opportunities are handled on a first come, first served basis.

The exhibit and sponsor cancellation deadline for this event is August 9, 2019.  No refunds will be provided after this date.