2026 ACSA Personnel Institute

Changing laws and regulations have altered CalSTRS’ and CalPERS’ views on reportable compensation, salary schedules, and spiking. CalPERS and CalSTRS have strictly applied the law and regulations when reviewing contract language in employment agreements, collective bargaining agreements and salary schedules. This session will provide guidance on the requirements, offer tips and pointers, and provide best practices to help you avoid audit findings of misreported compensation.

Key Takeaways:
(1) More knowledge about CalSTRS and CalPERS requirements, audits and consequences for districts;
(2) Learn how to comply with such requirements in employment agreements and collective bargaining agreements; and
(3) Learn how to help the governing board comply with related Brown Act requirements.

Whether certificated or classified, misidentifying your employees can have significant implications for school employers. Is this employee temporary, probationary, or permanent or something else? What does this mean in the land of layoffs, employee transfer rights, promotional opportunities, evaluation, discipline, even compensation? Attendees will learn the key factors that determine employee status, review organizational best practices and common classification pitfalls, and explore real-world examples involving job duties, credentials, assignments, and bargaining unit implications.

Key takeaways:
- Learn how to properly identify certificated and classified employee statuses and understand the legal and operational implications tied to each classification.
- Recognize common classification mistakes involving assignments, credentials, compensation, and bargaining unit placement that can expose districts to risk.
- Gain practical strategies and best practices for managing employee classifications consistently across hiring, transfers, evaluations, discipline, and layoffs.

This session equips school administrators with the knowledge and tools needed to legally and effectively document certificated employee misconduct. Participants will learn how to conduct personnel investigations, prepare meaningful performance evaluations, and implement progressive discipline in a manner that is fair, consistent, and defensible. The presentation will walk through best practices for identifying misconduct, selecting appropriate levels of discipline, and creating documentation that supports sound employment decisions. Administrators will leave with practical strategies to strengthen their documentation practices and reduce legal risk.

Join retired Superintendent/Chief of Human Resources, Dr. Rob Martinez, and Carrie Wells, Assistant Superintendent HR of Brentwood USD, as they shares some strategies and processes to prepare yourself for the times when employee misbehavior will occur. We will discuss ways to support your Administrators and Supervisors with evidence collection, capturing witness statements, and preparing for the potential long and involved process of employee dismissal.

This session provides an overview of the requirements of the School Employee Misconduct and Child Abuse Prevention Act (SB 848). Participants will examine common reporting challenges, including inconsistencies in documentation, legal ambiguity, and the risk of internal and external communication breakdowns between school sites and districts. The session will also highlight best practices for ensuring reports are timely, complete, and aligned with district expectations, particularly in contexts involving personnel actions and investigations.

Key Takeaways:
• Understanding how SB 848 supports compliant and defensible personnel processes, and its impact on HR documentation
• Strategies for improving accuracy, consistency, and documentation standards across departments and sites
• Practical tools to strengthen SB 848 reporting and ensure consistency and legal compliance
(including AB 2534/SB 848 Compliance) - needs to add these as well

Is your HR team spending too much time on paperwork and not enough on people? It’s time to refocus. This high-energy session identifies the four levers HR leaders must pull to drastically improve recruitment and retention outcomes. We’ll dive deep into Systems, Recruitment, Branding, and Retention, providing you with actionable frameworks to streamline your operations and amplify your culture. Whether you are a team of one or lead a large department, you’ll walk away with a practical roadmap to modernize your practices and prove HR’s value to the bottom line.

School HR leaders are managing increasingly complex accommodation requests involving mental health, leaves, remote work, attendance, and employee performance concerns. Through real-world scenarios and interactive discussion, this session explores practical approaches to Interactive Process facilitation, documentation, and communication that help districts navigate difficult situations while maintaining compliance and operational effectiveness.

If you are buried in complaints, you are not alone. Complaints in the forms of UCPs, Complaints Against Employees, Sexual Harassment, and others have become common and at times, overwhelming. If your department is having a hard time managing the time demands, this session is for you. We will review the most common complaint types, critical tasks, and tips of the trade for streamlining your processes.