2026 ACSA Personnel Institute

Your first year in HR leadership comes with a steep learning curve, and plenty of situations where no handbook, workshop, or preparation program quite prepares you for. This fast-paced session brings together the essential things every HR leader needs to know, from the mechanics of bargaining, employee classification, to navigating important legal processes and understanding where to turn when you need answers. Whether you’re new to the role or simply want to strengthen your foundation, you’ll leave with practical knowledge, useful resources, and greater confidence navigating the HR landscape.

As complaints about employees continue to rise in schools and workplaces, district leaders face increasing pressure to respond promptly, fairly, and consistently while minimizing legal and operational risk. This session will explore practical strategies for managing complaints involving employee misconduct, workplace conflict, professionalism, harassment, discrimination, and performance concerns. Attendees will learn how to establish effective intake and documentation practices, conduct appropriate preliminary assessments, determine when investigations are necessary, and communicate throughout the process. The presentation will also address common pitfalls that can escalate complaints and provide proactive approaches to improving workplace culture, accountability, and employee relations. Participants will leave with actionable tools to help their districts respond to complaints confidently, consistently, and lawfully.

Between chronic absenteeism, expanding leave laws, staffing shortages, substitute vacancies, and evolving employee expectations, Human Resources professionals are asking themselves a very real question: does anyone actually come to work anymore? This engaging and relatable session takes a practical—and honest—look at the growing complexities of employee leave administration in public education. Participants will explore the ever-changing maze of FMLA, CFRA, pregnancy disability and parental leave, workers’ compensation, paid sick leave, catastrophic leave, and negotiated leave provisions, as well as the increasingly blurred lines between contractual rights, legal obligations, and operational realities. Through real-world scenarios, interactive discussion, and shared “you can’t make this up” moments, attendees will unpack common leave challenges and staffing impacts facing districts today.

Employee absenteeism presents ongoing challenges for supervisors and managers, impacting operations, morale, and service delivery. This session provides practical guidance on managing attendance issues within the legal and contractual framework applicable to employees. Participants will learn strategies for identifying problematic attendance patterns, conducting effective and compliant conversations, navigating leaves and accommodations, and applying progressive discipline when appropriate. Designed for supervisors on the front lines, this session equips attendees with tools to address absenteeism consistently, fairly, and confidently while minimizing risk to the organization.

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.

It has been noted that “entry into the Education Code is painful” and “large parts of the Education Code are not meant to be understood” – and this was the California Court of Appeal speaking. This session will break down the otherwise indecipherable provisions of the Education Code as it relates to the fundamental rules of certificated and classified employment. Targeted for both emerging and advanced HR practitioners, we will cover fundamentals such as how the Education Code establishes the certificated and classified services, as well as advanced scenarios, such as the subtle yet significant distinctions in how the Education Code treats topics such as employee classifications, leaves of absences, seniority, permanent status, rehire rights, layoffs, and bumping with respect to certificated and classified personnel, as well as the interplay between Education Code rights and the collective bargaining process.

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.

Discrimination complaints often arise not from a single decision, but from patterns of communication, documentation, and inconsistent application of policies over time. This session examines common missteps that increase exposure to discrimination claims in the workplace, particularly within public education and public sector employment contexts. Participants will explore how everyday personnel decisions can unintentionally create risk, and how to identify and correct these issues before they escalate into formal complaints. The session will also provide practical strategies for improving documentation, consistency, and decision-making practices to reduce legal exposure and support equitable treatment of employees.
Key Takeaways:
• Identify common administrative and supervisory practices that can unintentionally lead to discrimination complaints
• Understand how inconsistency in documentation and policy application increases legal and organizational risk
• Apply practical strategies to strengthen fairness, transparency, and defensibility in personnel decision-making
add Jacqueline M. Litra
Lisa B. Mori