Reynolds Questions School Sick Leave Pay

From www.tulsaworld.com ~ A state representative seeking an investigation into whether Broken Arrow schools broke the law when it paid some employees for unused sick leave said he was misled by a school attorney who told him the payments were not illegal.

Rep. Mike Reynolds, R-Oklahoma City, said he obtained a copy of a 2004 letter written by one of the school's attorneys, J. Douglas Mann, addressed to the school's human resources director and labeled as "personal and confidential involving attorney/client privilege," stating that it was against the law for the school to pay teachers that were still employed with the district for unused sick leave.

Reynolds said he forwarded a memorandum to State Auditor and Inspector Steve Burrage and Tulsa County District Attorney Tim Harris to facilitate an investigation of the school district.

"As I have previously stated, it is my understanding that the Broken Arrow school district provided employees as much as $242,000 in apparently illegal payments for unused sick leave," Reynolds said. "District officials have insisted that the practice was legal, but it is now clear their own attorney disagreed."

Read the entire story at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=12&articleid=20090505_19_A9_Astate764284.

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