ARTICLE 10 TEACHER SCHEDULES AND ASSIGNMENTS
Cumberland School District
A. Not later than the end of the school year, or within a reasonable time thereafter depending on the circumstances, in-service teachers shall be notified of their programs and schedule for the coming school year. Such schedule will be tentative and will contain the following:
1. The school or schools the teacher is assigned;
2. The grade level or levels the teacher is assigned;
3. The subject or subjects and preparation level or levels; and
4. Any special or unusual courses and assignments.
B. Elementary Schools - Special Area Teachers
1. It will be the goal of the Cumberland School Department to establish, where scheduling and facilities allow, one designated place within each school where each Special Area Teacher may teach his/her class, as well as a schedule that allows for minimum movement between school buildings.
2. Special Area Teachers will teach no more than six (6) periods per day or be assigned to teach in more than two (2) schools per day.
3. In arranging schedules for teachers who are assigned to more than one (1) school an effort will be made to limit the amount of inter-school travel. Such teachers will be notified of any changes in their schedules no later than the first day of school.
4. The Association and the Committee agree that schedules for Special Area Teachers, once set for a new year, shall not change after the first two (2) weeks of the school year in reference to the following:
a. Buildings assigned;
b. Number of buildings assigned; and
c. Class changes within assigned buildings.
5. At the discretion of the Superintendent, any necessary schedule change shall be executed reasonably and in a non-arbitrary manner after consultation with the Association President.
C. Teachers are required to attend, as soon as practical after the end of the regular work day and without additional compensation, the following staff meetings, when scheduled. These meetings will normally last approximately one (1) hour:
1. One (1) day during each month for departmental or curriculum meetings;
2. One (1) day during each month for faculty meetings called by the building administrator at his or her discretion; and
3. The Superintendent shall have the ability to call a special/emergency meeting of all certified staff upon notice to the Association.
D. The parties agree that teachers should make themselves available for the purpose of giving individual help to those students who request and need it. Reasonable notice of meetings shall be given.
E. Teachers shall be required to attend one (1) parent teacher conference day, (1) one parent teacher conference evening and two additional evening events as determined by the building administrator in consultation with the building representatives. The parent teacher conference day shall follow the professional development day schedule. The parent teacher conference evening may be scheduled outside of the typically scheduled work day. The evening meetings shall not be scheduled for more than two (2) hours in duration. Advanced notice of meetings shall be provided no later than October 1st each school year. If any problem arises between the elementary, middle and high school levels such problem shall be a matter of conference between the Association and the Superintendent. These evening meetings shall not be scheduled during the Thanksgiving week or the week preceding winter break. Only one (1) evening meeting shall be scheduled in any given week.
F. Parent-Teacher Conferences will be scheduled by the teacher within three (3) school days of the parent's request. Whenever possible the building administrator(s) will be present at these conferences upon the request of either parent or teacher. If the building administrator(s) is/ are not available, the teacher may reschedule the conference for a time when the building administrator(s) will be available. Nothing in this provision shall prohibit a building administrator(s) from calling a parent-teacher conference, provided however, that a twenty-four (24) hour notice is given to the teacher and the building administrator is present, if requested.
G. Secondary teachers will have a duty free lunch period of the same length as that of a secondary student (a secondary student's lunch period shall be defined as that amount of time during which a student is allowed to eat his/her lunch). Elementary teachers shall be entitled to a period of time of at least twenty (20) minutes, during which they may eat a duty free lunch.
H. Secondary school teachers shall ordinarily not be required to teach more than two (2) subjects nor more than three (3) preparations at any one time on a continuing basis. However, for specific courses and for specific durations set forth in writing and signed by the President of the Association and the Superintendent or his/her designee, the Association will agree to alter the limitations of this provision, when considered appropriate by agreement.
1. A subject is interpreted as a separate discipline, such as the discipline of mathematics, science, social studies, business education, physical education, etc.
2. A preparation is interpreted as a particular level within a discipline such as Algebra 1, Trigonometry, General Mathematics, etc.
I. The number of different rooms in which assignments occur should be kept to the minimum administratively possible. Should teachers be required to teach in more than one (1) room, these rooms will be as near to one another as possible, all circumstances considered.
J. In rooms with specific stations (shops, typing rooms, laboratories, etc.), the number of pupils assigned to such rooms should normally not exceed the number of stations available.
K. A teacher who wishes to leave the building during an unassigned period may do so by signing out on a register provided by the main office, indicating where or how the teacher can be reached if need for the teacher arises, and signing in at the main office upon return. Failure to sign in and out when leaving the building shall result in a written reprimand. Any additional violations of this section shall result in progressive discipline. A teacher with an unassigned last period may not use the sign in/sign out procedure to reduce the total length of daily in-school hours.
L. All Special Area Teachers shall be given sufficient time to travel from classroom to classroom and from building to building.
M. The official length of the teacher's school day shall not exceed six and three quarter (6 3/4) hours. The official length of the teacher's school day shall be defined as the length of time between the time the teacher is required to report and the time he/she is free to leave the school property for the day. Teachers are required to be at the location of their post no later than five (5) minutes prior to the start of the contractual day. Teachers are expected to remain at their post for a minimum of five (5) minutes at the conclusion of the contractual day.
N. The school department shall determine the number of educators needed to supervise students before and after the contractual day and shall assign interested educators to said task. Said assignment shall not be for less than fifteen (15) minutes increments. Educators shall be paid at the hourly rate, as set in Article 21.
O. The Committee will continue to attempt to provide substitute teachers whenever possible. The Committee will assign substitutes according to the following priorities:
1. Elementary classrooms;
2. Elementary special area classrooms; and
3. Secondary classrooms.
P. Preparation/Unassigned Time
1. All certified staff shall be assigned a preparation/unassigned period. Said preparation/unassigned time shall be scheduled in the same uninterrupted block as the regularly scheduled instructional block. At the high school and middle school, the preparation/unassigned period will be the same length as the instructional period with a minimum of 50 minutes daily. At the elementary school, the preparation/unassigned time will be no less than (40) minutes daily. In addition, a minimum of three times a week, elementary teachers will be unassigned for 20 additional minutes of preparation time. If administration changes the schedule the parties will meet to bargain the impact of that change.
2. These periods, as well as all preparation time, shall be exclusive to other duties and apart from the teacher's lunch period.
3. Preschool teachers who teach two (2) sessions shall have preparation time between scheduled sessions.
4. If it becomes necessary to utilize a teacher during his or her preparation time, it is incumbent on the building administrator at each school to determine that assignment of preparation time is distributed evenly and fairly among all teachers.
5. Teachers shall be compensated on a pro-rata basis for the loss of any portion of the preparation/unassigned block per day. Said compensation shall be Forty-five dollars ($45.00). Elementary teachers will not be required to cover a class on a day when they have recess duty.
6. Teaching additional class in place of a preparatory period
a. The parties agree that, in an ideal situation, qualified teachers would be hired into open positions. However, if the district is unable to fill positions, teachers may agree to take on a sixth (6th) class in lieu of their preparatory period and be compensated at the contractual rate of pay of the extra class (which is equal to one fifth (1/5) of the teacher’s salary, payable over thirteen (13) pay periods for a one (1) semester course and one fifth (1/5) of the teacher’s salary, payable over twenty six (26) pay periods for a long period (highfull year course).
b. Teachers will be offered additional classes based on seniority, certification, and when appropriate, experience, and education should be considered.
c. The CTA will be informed of open building positions in advance of any offer of said positions to teachers in said building with the appropriate qualifications.
d. The District will continue to post the open positions and make all reasonable efforts to fill them through the first marking period of the school only). year. The District will post the open positions as early as possible in the Spring for the upcoming school year.
e. This provision does not affect the prior practice of allowing teachers to teach a fifth section at the contractual rate when an additional class is available not equaling a full FTE.
Q. Teachers will be paid at the mileage rate permitted by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for use of their automobiles for travel on school business or between schools during the regular school day. Payments will be made on a semi-annual basis upon the receipt of vouchers designed by the Administration.
R. Teachers shall have three (3) business days between the official close of the marking period and the day report card grades must be submitted.
S. Although Grade 6 is and shall remain an elementary grade level, while located in the middle school, Grade 6 teachers will be assigned the same number of teaching, coverage, and preparation periods as teachers in Grades 7 and 8.
T. Teachers will be provided with rosters of the students assigned to their rooms before their first meeting with students. It is understood by the parties that these lists may change through additions and deletions.
U. Secondary Teachers: Teaching Periods
1. All secondary teachers (except school counselors and school nurse/teachers), shall be assigned a maximum number of teaching periods equal to one less than the number of instructional periods per day. If administration changes the schedule, e.g., block schedule, the parties will meet to bargain the impact of that change.
2. As used here, teaching periods include Plus Block.
3. Those educators at Cumberland High School who are named as content area leaders shall receive one (1) additional preparation/unassigned period to complete department work.
4. Teachers at the middle level will be assigned four (4) teaching periods and a preparation period each day. The remaining period shall be assigned as common planning time, plus block, or duty. Duties will be assigned by trimester and will be assigned equitably.
a. If it is necessary to utilize a teacher on a non-plus block day to cover a class, teachers should miss a duty period rather than a common planning time period whenever possible.
V. Non-Institutional Duties
1. The Committee and the Association agree to work together to ensure that a teachers time is utilized most effectively. To this end, they agree as follows:
a. School Nurse/Teachers shall be required to administer eye or ear examinations.
b. School Nurse Teachers shall not be assigned a duty and shall report to the nurse’s office upon arrival & at dismissal.
b. Teachers shall not drive pupils to activities which take place away from the school building.
c. Teacher attendance at after school social functions will be on a voluntary basis.
2. A non-instruction duty is described as the following: Hallway duty, cafeteria duty, lavatory duty, recess duty and any other reasonable duties agreed to by the Association.
a. Employees assigned to the high school shall be assigned seven (7) periods, including one (1) preparation period of at least fifty (50) minutes and one (1) duty period.
b. Employees assigned to the elementary schools shall be assigned to a total of two (2) duties per week, recess and/ or bus duty. On the other three (3) days of the week, the teacher shall have a twenty (20) minute lunch and twenty (20) minutes of preparation time.
c. In the event a teacher has an unassigned period and a duty scheduled on the same day, the building administrator shall have discretion in the scheduling of these periods, provided the teacher receives their preparation/unassigned block each day and the educator is provided with at least twenty four (24) hour notice.
d. High School Special Education teachers will not be assigned to a duty. Instead, this unassigned period will be used for meetings, testing, and case management responsibilities. Other preparation periods will be used to develop instructional resources for co-taught classes and academic enrichment periods.
W. Class Coverage
The Committee and the Association recognize that teachers will be called upon to provide class coverage when the classroom teacher is not present in their class. Administration will utilize teachers in this capacity only when necessary. Class coverage shall not be assigned as just a non-instructional duty, but rather, administration shall make reasonable effort to assign class coverages in an equitable manner across the membership within that school. Teachers shall only be compensated for class coverage when asked to do so during their preparation period.
X. Common Planning Time
1. Early release time will be utilized for common planning time during the early release Wednesdays.
2. Common planning time shall consist of activities that are mutually agreed upon by educators and administrators.
Y. Performance-Seniority-Experience (PSE) Matrix
1. Displacements
a. Any tenured educator who shall be displaced from their current position shall be notified by the Human Resource Office in writing of this displacement. Displacements occur due to a variety of circumstances (budget, enrollment, etc.), however a displaced educator retains a position within the school department. Displacements shall occur prior to the posting of open positions and the beginning of the Performance-Seniority-Experience (PSE) matrix.
b. Any tenured educator who has been displaced will participate in a preliminary round of the PSE matrix. This round shall occur prior to the recall of non-renewals or placement of displaced non-tenured educators. If there is an open position in which the displaced educator is certified, he or she may submit a Google Form for the open position or be permitted to select a position, in their certification, currently being held by a non-tenured educator.
c. If a tenured educator leaves a permanent position for a one (1) year only position, they are not able to participate in the preliminary round of the (PSE) matrix.
2. Open Positions/Voluntary Transfers
a. The School Department will advertise all positions to invite internal applicants. The postings will set forth, at the minimum:
(1) certification and requirements, including any specialized training or particular skills, required or preferred for the position; and
(2) a clear deadline for the submission of applications and application materials.
b. All postings will remain open for a minimum of three (3) calendar days, (weekend counting as one (1) calendar day), unless otherwise agreed to by the parties.
c. Educators who desire a change in building and/or grade and/or subject assignment shall complete the Google form posted by the Human Resource Office during the posting period. If the educator lists more than one (1) desired position, he or she shall indicate the order of preference.
d. All applicants will be initially screened to ensure candidates meet the eligibility requirements. This screening will typically be performed by the Human Resource Office, or by a designee of that office.
e. Assignments to open positions and voluntary transfers shall be based upon the Performance-Seniority-Experience (PSE) Matrix, see Appendix A_, with the position awarded to the member with the highest PSE Score.
f. The preliminary round of the PSE matrix will place any educator who has been displaced from his or her position. The following rounds shall include non-tenured educators who have been recalled. The school department shall recall as many non-tenured educators as possible, given budgetary, enrollment and job performance concerns, so the most number of non-tenured educators are able to participate in the PSE matrix.
g. Where two (2) or more applicants have the same PSE score, ties shall be broken in joint consultation between the Superintendent and the CTA President. In all circumstances, the Superintendent, or his or her designee, will recommend to the School Committee the applicant for the position.
h. After the aforementioned process, the School Department will advertise all new and unfilled open positions and invite external applicants to apply.
3. Involuntary Transfer
a. The Superintendent shall have the right to involuntarily transfer any employee in the best interest of the students and/or school. No teacher shall be transferred involuntarily without good and just cause.
b. Whenever possible, notice of involuntary transfer shall be given to the teacher not less than thirty (30) days prior to the effective date of such transfer. When an involuntary transfer could occur, volunteers with the appropriate certification in the affected subject area may apply for consideration. Whenever possible, involuntary transfers shall not be for more than a year. Whenever possible, the same teacher will not be involuntarily transferred in consecutive school years.
c. In the event that a teacher is involuntarily transferred after they have set up their classroom or teaching space, they will be provided with paid time to dismantle their current teaching space and set up their new teaching space. They will be paid professional development rate for up to ten (10) hours for this time. Compensation will also be provided for any classroom materials that have to be replaced due to the change of assignment.
4. Non Renewals/Dismissals
a. In the event of layoff, employees shall be laid off based on one (1) or more of the following criteria: non tenured, program elimination, financial exigency and/or mutual consent of the union leadership and the Superintendent. In accordance with the above, the Superintendent retains the right to consult with the District Administrative team to determine which staff members will be most effective in meeting student needs based on the above-stated criteria. Notice shall be provided to employees as prescribed by R.I.G.L. § 16-13-2, as it may be amended from time to time.
b. At all times, the District maintains its right not to renew non-tenured teachers based upon a good-faith assessment by Administration that better teachers are available. Reductions in force will take certification, qualifications, and final effectiveness rating into account.
c. Suspensions of staff due to a decrease in school population will be made in accordance with R.I.G.L. §16-13-6.
d. If a non tenured educator is not recalled by the beginning of the following school year, that educator shall be treated as a non renewal and his or her teaching contract shall expire.
5. Recalls
a. In the event of recall, the recall shall be determined by the Superintendent, after having consulted with union leadership, using the (PSE) matrix. If a tenured teacher is not recalled by the beginning of the following school year, that educator shall be placed on a recall list for a period of two (2) years and be recalled in the event any position opens during the school year.
6. Recall of Non-Renewal/Dismissals
a. In the event of the recall of non-renewal, the recall shall be determined by the Superintendent, after having consulted with union leadership, using the (PSE) matrix. Recall of non-renewals shall take place after all displaced educators have selected a position.
b. In the event of the recall of dismissal, the recall shall be determined by the Committee on the recommendation of the Superintendent, after having consulted with union leadership, using seniority and certification.
Z. FLSA PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act
1. The Cumberland School Committee shall provide, as described below, a reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for such employee’s nursing child for 1 year after the child’s birth each time such employee has need to express the milk.
2. Each school shall provide a pumping area that is:
a. A designated pumping space that shall not be a bathroom, which space shall be the exclusive location for pumping at that school.
b. The space shall be clean, with a locking door, furnished with a comfortable chair, small table, and a mini refrigerator.
c. The space does not have to be exclusively used for pumping, but it must be available when an employee needs to use it for pumping. The refrigerator shall be exclusive for breast milk storage.
3. Each school shall provide two pumping sessions each day:
a. The building Administration shall provide class coverage for a reasonable period of time that permits an employee to pump for twenty minutes for one of the pumping sessions. The pumping session for which class coverage shall be provided shall be as far removed temporarily from the nursing employee’s prep period as practicable.
b. The other pumping session shall take place during the nursing employee’s prep/unassigned period and the building administration shall not assign class coverage to the nursing employee during this pumping session.
c. If a nursing employee chooses to utilize only one pumping session, it shall be the pumping session for which the building administration shall provide class coverage.