Saint Francis 2026-27 — Full Contract Review

CoverAcceptance page orange

Sign as-is by May 8 or it's deemed declined. No negotiation channel built into the document; "any alterations = rejection." $9K Release Fee front-loaded onto cover as a deterrent.

Why concerning

Take-it-or-leave-it posture. It doesn't legally stop verbal negotiation before signing — but it does mean you cannot redline.

Suggested action

If you want anything changed (publicity opt-out, stipend bump, release-fee carveout), ask Brian or Drew verbally / by email before you sign. Once signed, you're locked.

Clause 1Employment Term orange

One-year term Aug 1, 2026 → July 31, 2027. Returning teachers 191 days. School can shift start/end dates unilaterally. Non-renewal needs no reason or notice.

Why concerning

The non-renewal language is the legal foundation of every St. Francis horror story. There is no "we'll tell you by [date]" notice requirement. They can simply not send you a 2027-28 contract. Brian's verbal "slated for next year" carries zero legal weight.

Suggested action

Re-read. This is the single most important clause for understanding what you're actually buying with a year of service. Cannot be changed; just know it.

Clause 2Position yellow

"MS ALL SUBJECTS and/or other areas designated by the School... reassign... at any time and for any reason... may include changes in schools, subjects, grade levels, duties and responsibilities."

Why a watch item

Standard for private schools but absolute. They could move you mid-year from MS to lower elementary or to a different campus, with no financial protection if the new role is harder.

Suggested action

Nothing legally. Flag mentally that "MS All Subjects" is not contractually protected.

Clause 3Compensation orange

Base $59,719 paid 24 bi-monthly installments Sept 15 → Sept 1. Total package $72,844 including stipends. School "reserves the right to prospectively modify Employee's compensation, at any time and for any reason," and may reduce pay for remote work or reduced duties.

Why concerning

Two things. (1) Pay is paid Sept → Sept, not Aug → Jul: you work Aug 1 with no paycheck until Sept 15, and your final check is ~Sept 1 even though work ends July 31, meaning the school holds ~6 weeks of accrued pay past your last work day. Soft retention lever. (2) "Prospectively modify... at any time and for any reason" is a unilateral pay-cut clause. Standard arbitration of "good cause" doesn't apply.

Suggested action

Re-read. If you ever leave mid-summer (June/July), you may still be owed July/Aug/Sept paychecks — losing those is a hidden cost on top of the $9K Release Fee.

Clause 4Duties & Responsibilities red — push back

"Employee shall devote all of Employee's business time and attention... and will not engage in any other business, profession, or occupation, for compensation or otherwise, which could conflict or interfere, either directly or indirectly... without the prior written consent of the School."

Why concerning

"Or otherwise" and "indirectly" are extremely broad. This is the clause that puts Legacy Soil, Bidet AI, Content Creator Club video work, public speaking, paid AI consulting, and unpaid volunteer roles at the school's discretion. A literal reading: weekend Legacy Soil work could be argued to "indirectly interfere" because you're tired Monday morning. It is also the clause that could be weaponized later — they don't have to fire you, they just demand you cease an outside activity, and refusing becomes "insubordination" under Clause 17(iv) or 17(v).

Suggested action

Before signing, get written permission for: Legacy Soil, Bidet AI, any tutoring outside SF students, public speaking and online content. A simple email — "Per Section 4, I'm requesting written consent to continue [list]" — and a written reply creates the record. (Clause 12 explicitly carves out off-site tutoring of non-school students, but does NOT cover other businesses.)

Clause 4(c)Handbook adherence loop orange

You agree to follow the handbook plus "any administrative memos, employee manuals, or as presented at staff meetings."

Why concerning

Combined with Clause 15, this is the unilateral-modification trapdoor. The school can effectively change your contractual obligations by issuing a memo. Failure to comply = Clause 17(v) "failure to follow express directions" = termination for cause.

Suggested action

Save every administrative memo and meeting agenda. If they ever try to discipline you for an unwritten rule, the paper trail is your defense.

Clause 5Extra duties / coach / moderator yellow

Coaching/moderating is part of the deal, not optional.

Why a watch item

Your three current stipend roles ($13,125 combined) are about 18% of total comp. If they cut a stipend role next year, you take an effective pay cut.

Suggested action

Each stipend has its own $300 release fee — confirm you actually want all three. Broadcasting aligns with Content Creator Club; the others may not.

Clause 6Benefits orange

".7 HMO Plan 2 DENTAL." School can amend or terminate any benefit plan at any time. Health insurance ends July 31 even though your last paycheck is ~Sept 1.

Why concerning

The benefits-end-July-31 vs. pay-ends-Sept-1 mismatch means if you don't return for 2027-28, you have ~6 weeks of unpaid COBRA exposure or coverage gap before another job picks up. Identical to 2025-26, so not new — but worth knowing for Kim's coverage planning.

Suggested action

Pull the medical-insurance addendum and 403(b) match terms separately; they are not in the main contract.

Clause 7Sick / personal / bereavement leave orange

6 sick days/year, max 20-day bank. 2 personal days, can't use them around holidays. Bereavement comes out of personal/sick days first.

Why concerning

(1) No dedicated bereavement allowance. When (not if) something happens with Mom or Dad's family, you spend YOUR sick days. (2) The day-before/after-holiday penalty is unusually punitive — getting sick on the wrong Monday costs you 2 days, not 1.

Suggested action

Re-read. Plan personal days strategically.

Clause 8Place of work green

Roswell-based but they can send you between campuses, athletic facilities, or other educational institutions. No mileage reimbursement clause — worth asking about if travel actually starts.

Clause 9Hours / closures yellow

7:40-3:45 M-Th, 7:40-4:00 Fri (K-8). Plus mandatory: orientation, graduation, 2 field trips, 2 PA evening socials, 2 evening events, 1 Saturday meeting, Open House, 1 overnight trip 6-12, MS Knight at the Castle, Sports Banquet. School closures (snow/emergency) can be made up on conference days OR during winter/spring/summer break.

Why a watch item

The "make up snow days during your summer" provision is buried but real. In a heavy-weather year you could lose a week of summer.

Clause 10School property orange

School laptops/iPads are theirs, no personal use, no passwords without approval, "subject to review and examination at any time."

Why concerning — for Bidet AI / Legacy Soil

Do NOT use the school-issued laptop for Bidet AI development, Legacy Soil planning, AI consulting, Claude/Anthropic accounts, or anything related to outside work. The "subject to review and examination" language is broad — anything on that machine is theirs to read, including under a Clause 4 outside-work investigation.

Suggested action

Audit your school laptop today. If anything Bidet/Legacy/personal-AI is on it, move it to G16 / Apex / personal devices immediately. Treat the school laptop as a lectern, not a workstation.

Clause 11Certification / professional membership green

You pay for your own certifications and pro-org dues. Common in private schools. NCTE / similar runs $80-200/year.

Clause 12Tutoring green

No tutoring your own students without approval. Tutoring non-school students off-site, off-hours = explicitly OK. One of the clearer carveouts in the contract. Note: it does NOT cover Legacy Soil or Bidet AI — those go under Clause 4.

Clause 13Non-disparagement / social media red — push back

(1) Anything online that "reflects poorly" on the school can get you fired. (2) You cannot say negative things about SF, the Buccellatos, other staff, students, or parents — "now or after the conclusion of their employment" (forever). (3) No pictures of any employee, student, or family member on social media without written permission.

Why concerning

Three serious issues. (1) Lifetime non-disparagement has no expiration. Even five years after you leave, this clause technically applies. Whether broad lifetime non-disparagement is enforceable in Georgia courts is mixed — but the text says "at any time." (2) "Reflects poorly" is undefined and far broader than "defamatory." A factually true post critical of school policy could be argued to reflect poorly. This is the clause that gets used when the Buccellatos want someone gone. (3) Photo prohibition affects Content Creator Club content, your YouTube work, even casual posts of school events. "Written permission" is stricter than most schools.

Suggested action

Lawyer-flag. Ask whether Georgia courts enforce open-ended lifetime non-disparagement and what "reflects poorly" can be construed as. Practical workaround: lock down personal social media (already mostly your style) and never post anything school-related without checking. Document any pre-existing public posts (Bidet AI talks, education content) that pre-date this contract.

Clause 14Publicity red — push back

"Employee agrees and consents to any and all uses and displays, by the School, of Employee's name, voice, image, appearance, and biographical information... in all printed and electronic form, at any time during or after the Employment Term, for all legitimate commercial, business, and educational purposes... without further consent from or payment or other compensation to Employee." Plus: "Employee forever waives and releases the School from any and all claims."

Why concerning

Among the broadest publicity clauses in a teaching contract. Specifically: voice and audio recordings can be used in marketing forever; "all printed and electronic form" arguably covers AI training data, website use, podcasts, anything yet to be invented; no carveout for AI-generated derivatives (your image and voice could legally be fed into a school AI avatar / promo bot); "forever waives and releases" survives termination; no opt-out, no compensation, no notice.

Suggested action

This is the single clause where I'd most recommend asking for an addendum. Sample language: "Notwithstanding Section 14, Employee retains the right to revoke consent for future uses upon written notice; existing materials in circulation are not affected." Modest ask. If they refuse, that itself is informative about the relationship. At minimum: keep a personal record of any school-produced photos/videos you appear in. Avoid voluntary recordings (faculty interviews, promo videos) where possible.

Clause 15Handbook (unilateral modification) orange

The handbook binds YOU but does not bind the SCHOOL. They can change it any time, you must follow the new version, they cannot be held to anything in it.

Why concerning

Pure asymmetry. Combined with Clause 4(c) ("adhere to any and all School policies"), the handbook is a unilaterally-mutable list of rules you must follow but cannot rely on. If the handbook says "teachers get planning periods on Fridays" and they delete that, you have no recourse.

Suggested action

Re-read. This is the legal architecture that lets the Buccellatos run the school by fiat. Cannot be changed; just know it.

Clause 16Renewal yellow

Auto-terminates July 31, 2027. If they offer renewal, you have 10 business days. Miss the deadline = offer expires.

Why a watch item

No auto-renewal trap (good). But the deadline can sneak up — last year's window was 3 days, this year 4 days. Tight.

Suggested action

If you get a 2027-28 offer, calendar the deadline immediately and don't dawdle.

Clause 17Termination by school orange

Five grounds, all "in the School's sole direction": (i) failure to perform or follow handbook/memos/directives; (ii) fraud, dishonesty, willful misconduct; (iii) arrest for, charged in relation to, or conviction of a felony or crime of moral turpitude; (iv) insubordination or inattention; (v) failure to follow express directions.

Why concerning

No notice period, no severance, no progressive discipline, no appeals process, no arbitration. The arrest-not-conviction trigger in (iii) is unusual; most modern contracts use "conviction or no contest plea." If terminated, you forfeit "any unpaid salary amounts from the date of termination through the end of the Employment Term." So a March termination = lose ~$15-20K of accrued-but-not-yet-paid wages. (Whether enforceable in Georgia for accrued-but-unpaid wages is a lawyer question.)

Suggested action

Lawyer-flag if you ever face termination. Do NOT sign a separation agreement without review. The "arrest" trigger means an unfounded accusation could end your employment before you're cleared.

Clause 18Release Fee — $9,000 orange

Leave mid-year = $9,000 (before taxes). Verbally accepting another teaching job is "tantamount to requesting release." Suit can add 15% attorney's fees plus collection costs.

Why concerning

(1) Unchanged from 2025-26 — small relief. (2) "Tantamount to requesting release" upon verbal acceptance of another teaching job is unusually aggressive: a casual "yes, I'm interested" could be argued as triggering. (3) 15% attorney's fees + collection costs make this potentially $11,000+ exposure. (4) "Liquidated damages, not a penalty" is the legal magic phrase to make this enforceable; Georgia courts generally enforce liquidated-damages clauses if amount is a reasonable estimate of harm. $9K for a teacher salary is on the high end but probably enforceable. (5) Fee can be waived in writing by school — discretionary on their end. Brian or Drew can waive. (6) If terminated under Clause 17, this fee does NOT apply — only if YOU leave.

Suggested action

Known cost of mid-year departure. If you ever look at another job mid-year, the $9K is the floor. Note: by the text, leaving for a non-education job (full-time Legacy Soil, full-time AI consulting, retiring) does NOT trigger the verbal-acceptance clause. But the Release Fee itself still applies if you request release. Confirm with a lawyer.

Clause 19Pronouns green

Boilerplate gender/number rule. Ignore.

Clause 20Severability green

If any clause is struck down, rest of contract survives. Routine.

Clause 21Choice of law / venue green

Georgia law applies. Disputes go to Fulton County Superior Court. No mandatory arbitration clause — mildly favorable. You retain the right to court.

Clause 22Entire agreement / merger orange

"This Agreement constitutes the entire understanding... supersedes and replaces in entirety the terms of all prior Agreements." Whatever Brian said verbally ("you're slated for next year," "I have you in my accounts") is not binding.

Why concerning, contextually

Brian's verbal assurances about 2027-28 are good faith but legally unenforceable. If the Buccellatos override Brian, you have no recourse based on what he said.

Suggested action

Recalibrate expectations. Brian's word is goodwill, not a contract.

Clause 23Electronic signatures green

Standard.

Clause 24Acknowledgment / addenda yellow

Your signature affirms you have "received, reviewed, and agree to ALL terms... and all addenda relating to Family Leave Medical Act, Workmen's Compensation, Staff Development and Certification compliance, and medical insurance."

Why a watch item

The addenda are NOT in the contract file. They live behind a separate URL. By signing, you bind yourself to documents you may not have read.

Suggested action

Before signing, download and read at minimum: FMLA addendum, Workmen's Compensation addendum, Staff Development & Certification compliance, medical insurance specifics, athletic handbook (since you have stipend roles). URL in cover letter: https://sites.google.com/sfschools.net/teacherresources/handbooks