GCD-Professional Staff Vacations and Holidays

Emery County School District

Policy: GCD - Professional Staff Vacations & Holidays

Date Adopted: 17 August 1988

Current Review / Revision:        12 July 2023


Licensed Staff Employed on a School-Year Basis

The school calendar, as adopted by the Board, establishes the school recess periods and holidays for benefited professional staff members employed on a school-year basis.

Administrative Staff—Vacation Leave

Administrative staff employed on a year-round basis (defined as school year plus at least 10 weeks of summer) shall receive annual vacation leave, with full pay, in accordance with the following provisions:

•    Staff with qualifying service of less than 10 completed years, as of July 1st, will receive 10 days of vacation leave.

•    Staff with qualifying service of 10-14 completed years, as of July 1st, will receive 15 days of vacation leave.

•    Staff with qualifying service of 15 completed years, as of July 1st, will receive 20 days of vacation leave.  

Qualifying service is defined as any year of benefited employment with ECSD, whether or not the employee was serving in an administrative position at the time.  Years of public education administrative experience outside of ECSD also qualify, but at a 2:1 ratio.  In such situations, administrators may gain 2 years of qualifying service for every 1 year of service to the ECSD until credited for all out of district administrative experience.  

Annual vacation leave is credited to the administrative employee’s leave account on July 1st, applicable to the upcoming 
year of service.  The leave is proactively provided on the assumption that the employee will work the full annual 
employment period.  In the event of a mid-year retirement or other separation of service, annual vacation leave shall be 
adjusted, on a prorated basis, by the percentage of the annual employment period for which the administrator was 
actively employed.  For a mid-year hire, vacation days are prorated for the first year.  

Up to 10 days of unused vacation leave, accrued as of the end of the administrator’s contract year (June 30th) may be carried forward for a period not to exceed 6 months (until December 31st).  All vacation leave carried forward must be used during this 6-month time period or be forfeited.

An administrative employee with 15 or more consecutive years of service in the Emery County School District, who has reached eligibility for State pension retirement benefits, and elects to retire, shall be paid by the District the current licensed teacher substitute pay for each day of unused vacation leave credited to the employee’s account upon retirement.  Vacation leave payouts shall be made to the employee through the District-sponsored Prime Choice plan.

Each employee, with prior approval from their immediate supervisor, will schedule vacation leave taking into account the service requirements of the school system.  Vacations will be allowed at any time of the year provided they do not cause undue hardship on the operation of the District or schools.

Except as vacation days and/or personal leave have been scheduled, all professional personnel employed on a year-round basis are expected to work during the recess periods of the school year.


Administrative Staff—Holiday Leave

Eleven paid holidays are established for administrative staff employed on a year-round basis and include the following:

•    New Year’s Day
•    Presidents’ Day
•    Memorial Day
•    Independence Day
•    Pioneer Day
•    Labor Day
•    Thanksgiving Day
•    Christmas Eve Day
•    Christmas Day
•    Two Floating Days *

*The following qualify for the use of one or both of these days:  Martin Luther King Jr Day, during Spring Break, Juneteenth, the Wednesday before and/or the Friday following Thanksgiving, or in conjunction with one of the nine specified holidays. For example: if July 4th falls on a Tuesday, one floating day may be taken on Monday, July 3rd. 

It is the intent of the Emery County School District to allow all employees to use the holidays and vacation days awarded to them.