15-502

15-502. Employment of school district
personnel; payment of wages of discharged employee

A. The governing board at any time may employ and fix the salaries and benefits of
employees necessary for the succeeding year. The contracts of all certificated employees
shall be in writing, and all employees shall be employed subject to section 38-481. The
governing board may obtain the services of any employee, including teachers, substitute
teachers and administrators, by contracting with a private entity that employs personnel
required by the school district.

B. A teacher shall not be employed if the teacher has not received a certificate
for teaching granted by the proper authorities. If a teacher has filed an application
and completed all of the requirements for a certificate but time does not allow a teacher
to receive a certificate before the commencement of employment, the conditional
certificate shall serve as a certificate for the payment of wages, provided that the
teacher files the conditional certificate with the county school superintendent and the
certificate is issued within three months of the date of commencing employment. In order
to be paid wages beyond the three month period prescribed in this subsection, the teacher
shall file the certificate with the county school superintendent. Any contract issued to
a teacher who has completed certificate requirements but has not received a certificate
shall be specifically contingent upon receipt of such a certificate. The governing board
of a school district that is subject to section 15-914.01 shall adhere to the duties
described in section 15-302, subsection A, paragraph 9 for purposes of this subsection.

C. No dependent, as defined in section 43-1001, of a governing board member may be
employed in the school district in which the person to whom such dependent is so related
is a governing board member, except by consent of the board.

D. The governing board may employ certificated teachers under contract as part-time
classroom teachers. Notwithstanding any other statute, a certificated teacher who has
been employed by the school district for more than the major portion of three consecutive
school years does not lose the entitlement to the procedures prescribed in sections
15-538.01, 15-539 through 15-544 and 15-547 if the teacher is employed under contract on
a part-time basis for at least forty per cent time. For the purposes of this
subsection, "forty per cent time" means employed for at least forty per cent of the
school day required of full-time teachers of the same grade level or for at least forty
per cent of the class load assigned to full-time teachers of the same grade level, as
determined by the governing board.

E. The governing board may employ a business manager who has expertise in finance.
For the purposes of this subsection, "expertise in finance" means one or more of the
following:

1. A baccalaureate degree in accounting, finance, school finance or public finance.

2. A graduate degree in accounting, finance, school finance or public finance.

3. Other finance training or finance experience that the governing board determines
is sufficient to qualify the person to administer the business operations of the school
district.

F. Notwithstanding sections 23-351 and 23-353, if an employee is discharged from
the service of a school district, the school district shall pay the wages due to the
employee within ten calendar days from the date of discharge.

G. Each school district shall establish policies and procedures to provide teachers
with personal liability insurance.

H. Notwithstanding any other law, a school district shall not adopt policies that
provide employment retention priority for teachers based on tenure or seniority.