ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION

Date last revised: February 18, 2014. Date last reviewed: March 7, 2017. Document #5.23. 

1. GENERAL

1.1 The Spokane Public Library will, as funding allows, sponsor participation in meetings, workshops, conferences and training sessions when such participation will further the Library’s mission and goals by enhancing work skills and/or encouraging the professional development of library employees. The Library’s sponsorship may include paid or unpaid release time and/or full or partial payment of related expenses. This document outlines procedures for the administration of the library’s continuing education funds and is divided into the following sections:

1.2 This bulletin is divided into the following sections:

Section 1 – General
Section 2 – Definitions
Section 3 – Guidelines
Section 4: Procedures

2. DEFINITIONS

2.1 Required Attendance: Attendance at a program or event that is required by the library as a function of the employee’s current position.

2.2 Voluntary Work Related Attendance: Attendance at a program or event that is requested by the employee in an effort to support or enhance work skills associated with the employee’s current position. 

2.3 Voluntary Non-Work Related Attendance: Attendance at a program or event that is requested by the employee in an effort to build skills that are not related to the employee’s current position, but which may prepare the employee to move to another position, usually at a higher level, within the organization. 

2.4 Paid Release Time: Time that is provided to an employee to attend a program or event and that is compensated as regular work time.

2.5 Unpaid Release Time: Time away from the workplace that is approved for attendance at a program or event, but that is not compensated as regular work time. The employee may be required to use vacation or other accrued leave to remain in a paid status, or unpaid leave may be approved. 

2.6 FLSA Exempt: An employee whose work is classified as administrative, managerial or professional, and who is therefore exempt from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. 

2.7 FLSA Non-Exempt: An employee whose work is classified as labor, clerical, technical or paraprofessional and who is covered by the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. 

3. GUIDELINES

3.1 Employees are encouraged to be aware of opportunities as they become available, and to give serious consideration to those opportunities that will enhance their work and their understanding of public library service, such as conferences and workshops sponsored by state, regional and national organizations directly related to library activities. The library does not reimburse expenses for classes or programs for which credits are earned that apply toward a college degree. 

3.2 Guidelines for Attendance, FLSA Non-Exempt Employees:

3.2.1 If attendance is required, registration or tuition and all travel related expenses will be paid according to the library’s travel policy and administrative guidelines (#20.3 and #20.3.1A). 

3.2.2 If attendance is voluntary, payment of registration or tuition and travel related expenses will be contingent upon the availability of funding for staff development, and appropriate approvals regarding the request. 

3.2.3 If the program is related to the employee’s current work, paid release time will be provided for any time during which the employee is directly involved with the program, meeting or event. Attendance at non-mandatory or social events that are connected with a conference or program, but are not work-related, will not be considered compensable time. 

3.2.4 If the employee is attending a work-related program, any necessary travel time that falls within the employee’s regular work hours will be compensated as paid release time. For travel outside the local area, any time spent operating a vehicle will also be reported as time worked. Local travel time from the employee’s residence to the training site and from the training site to the employee’s residence, and that falls outside the employee’s normal work hours, is non-compensable. Travel time spent as a passenger in an airplane, train, bus or other vehicle and that falls outside the employee’s regular work hours will not be compensated. 

3.2.5 Unpaid release time may be approved for attendance at a conference, training, or program that is unrelated to the employee’s current job. An example would be training that is intended to build skills to prepare the employee for a promotion, where the skills are not required in the current position (i.e., supervisory training for an employee with no current supervisory responsibilities). Paid release time may also be approved for such attendance, if it is determined that the employee’s attendance will further the library’s mission and goals. 

3.3 Guidelines for Attendance, FLSA Exempt Employees

3.3.1 If attendance is required, registration or tuition and all travel related expenses will be paid according to the library’s travel policy and administrative guidelines (#20.3 and #20.3.1A). 

3.3.2 If attendance is voluntary, payment of registration or tuition and travel related expenses will be contingent upon the availability of funding for staff development, and appropriate approvals regarding the request. 

3.3.3 Paid release time may be provided for meeting, conference or event attendance that falls within the employee’s regular work schedule. No pay in excess of the employee’s normal salary will be provided for attendance outside the employee’s normal work schedule, nor will compensatory time accrue. 

3.3.4 Travel time that falls within the employee’s regular work schedule will be compensated as paid release time. No pay in excess of the employee’s normal salary will be provided for travel time that falls outside the employee’s normal work schedule, nor will compensatory time accrue. 

3.3.5 Unpaid release time may be approved for attendance at a meeting, conference, or training that is unrelated to the employee’s current work, or when the library cannot sponsor attendance for other reasons. The employee may be required to use vacation or other leave accruals to remain in a paid status, or an unpaid leave of absence may be granted upon request. 

4. PROCEDURES

4.1 Requests to attend outside training, workshops and conferences should be made as soon as possible to allow time to process the request. Requests must be submitted to supervisors and approved by department managers on the Application for Outside Training/Conference & Related Travel form. If approved by the department manager, the form will be forwarded to Human Resources for final approval. Human Resources will notify the employee and the employee’s supervisor of final approval/denial of the request. 

4.2 Application deadlines for the major library conferences (WLA, ALA, PLA, PNLA) will be announced in the staff newsletter. Association membership is not required in order to obtain library funding for conferences or workshops sponsored by professional organizations, but the library will reimburse only the member rate and non-members will pay the difference. The following criteria will be considered in determining whether requests will be approved: 

1. conference attendance and funding provided to the employee in the past;
2. relevance of the conference programming to the employee’s job responsibilities and what the employee hopes to gain from attendance;
3. the anticipated impact of the employee’s absence on service;
4. the availability of continuing education funds, and;
5. past compliance with continuing education and travel policies and procedures.

Weight will be given to these, and any other pertinent criteria considered, according to the circumstances surrounding a particular request.

4.3 Travel arrangements and travel reimbursement will be handled according to the library’s travel policy and administrative guidelines (#20.3 & #20.3.1A). Generally, each employee is expected to handle their own registration and travel arrangements. However, the business office may be able to handle registration and arrange for direct payment of the fee to providers who regularly offer training locally, or have a vendor account set up with the library for other reasons. Those who are interested in this option should check with the library’s business office. 

4.4 Within ten days following the event, the employee who has attended a workshop or conference on paid release time, or who has received funding from the library for the event, must prepare and post a brief summary of the event in the staff newsletter.. The employee must be willing to provide any available handouts to others who have an interest in the topic, or to attend staff meetings (as time allows) to share information with others.