North Kingstown - Article XI Salaries

ARTICLE XI SALARIES

North Kingstown School District

A. The salaries of all persons covered by this Agreement are set forth in Appendix A which is attached hereto and made a part hereof. Each person on the teachers’ salary schedule shall be paid from September to June 30th, biweekly, with the total yearly salary being divided into twenty-six (26) payments. The first paycheck shall be paid on the first day after the official opening of school that coincides with the existing biweekly payroll and the balance shall be paid on or before the last pay date before June 30th. Teachers shall be notified of the date of the first pay date in the following school year by this last pay date.

B. Teachers newly appointed to the North Kingstown School Department shall be given full increment credit for previous outside teaching experience which has been completed satisfactorily in public schools in the State of Rhode Island. For all new employees, all prior out-of-state public school experience, (not to include in-state public school experience) and private educational experience (whether in-state or out-of-state) which closely resembles or matches the work of a RI certified professional in a public school, shall be counted as the basis for one step on the salary schedule for every two years of experience to a maximum of five such steps. . For the following certifications, all new employees will receive full step credit for all prior out of state public school experience and private educational experience as defined above: Library Media Specialist, Math, Science-Chemistry, Science-Physics, and World Languages. During the term of this agreement, the Superintendent may request to add certifications to the aforementioned list with the agreement of the Association. The Superintendent or their designee shall notify the Association President any time this provision is invoked with their rationale.

C. A full teaching year shall be no less than one hundred thirty-five (135) paid days in a school year. New teachers, prior to their appointment, shall be required to furnish satisfactory evidence of all prior teaching experience which they claim. No credit shall be given for experience not documented prior to their appointment. Substitute teaching days taught in North Kingstown may be counted as “paid” days and combined with regular teaching days for service credit provided that such substitute teaching is continuous and uninterrupted and there is no loss of teaching time between the substitute teaching and the regular teaching service.

D. Whenever teachers are serving as coaches, department chairpersons or faculty members in charge of extracurricular activities, they shall be compensated as set forth in Appendix B which is attached hereto and made a part hereof. Those teachers appointed as coaches, both interscholastic and intramural, shall be paid once at the end of the coaching activity.

E. The North Kingstown School Committee encourages each teacher to improve their own professional background and competency by the participation in a program of studies beyond the Bachelor’s Degree at a recognized educational institution, and agrees to compensate teachers for the completion of courses and degrees according to the schedule in Appendix A, “Payment for Advanced Degree Increments.” A recognized educational institution shall be a college or university whose graduate program of studies is accredited by one (1) of the six (6) regional Associations of Colleges and Secondary Schools. All courses beyond a Bachelor's Degree for which compensation is to be awarded must be approved by the Superintendent or their designee on the basis of usefulness to the North Kingstown School Department, and shall conform to the following:

1. All courses completed and advanced degrees earned by teachers shall have a direct relationship to the subject area in which they teach in the school system and are designed to improve the ability to teach in such area. All courses completed and advanced degrees earned by teachers not related to the subject area in which they teach shall require approval by the Superintendent or designee prior to course or degree enrollment.

2. All courses completed for the purpose of fulfilling initial certification requirements are not eligible for incentive payments.

3. To be eligible for increment compensation, all courses shall be at the graduate level. If a teacher feels an undergraduate course merits consideration, they may petition the Administration and the Committee for a waiver of the graduate requirement. The Committee’s decision on the waiver shall be final and cannot be appealed.

4. To be eligible for increment compensation, the aggregate number of courses applied for must be at an average grade of not less than B. No course, however, shall be acceptable below a C grade.

5. No advanced degree increments will be credited for compensation until said record of completion is received by Human Resources but no later than one year from the date of program completion unless approved by the Superintendent or designee. Payment will not be retroactive.

6. An official transcript or course completion card from the college or university shall be the only document accepted as a record of completion.

7. Course or advanced degree increment compensation is to commence no earlier than the semester following approval by the Administration and the Committee.

8. When a teacher becomes eligible for advanced degree compensation based on a first-semester course, such application shall be filed before April 1st and the teacher shall receive one-half (½) of the respective increment.

9. For immediate consideration of compensation, applications for course and/or degree credit for first-semester courses shall be submitted by the April 1st following; second-semester courses by the September 1st following; summer courses by the October 1st following. All applications shall be considered at the School Committee’s regular business meetings of September, October and April.

F. Teachers may elect to have their paycheck(s) forwarded to any agent or addressee so designated in writing by the teacher. This designation must be submitted by October 1st. Two (2) subsequent changes in this designation may be made by the teacher during the same school year.

G. Payroll checks will indicate the dates of class coverage(s) as long as documentation is provided by the Monday prior to each payroll.

H. Teachers who are required to travel from one school facility to another shall be reimbursed at the rate allowed by the Internal Revenue Service. All expense reimbursement requests must be submitted no later than thirty (30) days after the month end in which the reimbursement is requested. This language will be printed on school department forms.

I. Teachers can access a written summary of their current salary, including advanced degrees, longevity and department chairperson stipends by accessing their salary notification posted to the Munis Employees Self Service website by November 1st of each school year.

J. Teachers shall be responsible for maintaining a current Rhode Island certification which is applicable and consistent with their assignment. Teachers who fail to do so shall be removed from the classroom and shall forfeit any salary under this Agreement until reinstatement by the Rhode Island Department of Education.

K. Beginning with the 2010-2011 school year, teachers hired for positions requiring more than one certification must keep all certifications active. If, after five (5) consecutive years any certifications have not been utilized, the teacher may let those certifications expire.

C. TUITION REIMBURSEMENT

1. All teachers who have completed three (3) years of employment with the North Kingstown School Department shall be eligible for tuition reimbursement for graduate work subject to the conditions and procedures set forth in this provision.

a. Application for reimbursement must be filed on or before deadlines set forth in Paragraph 4 of this provision and the Superintendent or designee shall have sole discretion as to approval under this provision. The Superintendent's or designee's decision regarding applications for approval can be appealed to the School Committee within thirty (30) days of the Superintendent's or designee's decision. The Committee's decision on appeal is final and binding and not subject to the grievance procedure under this Agreement.

b. To receive tuition reimbursement for courses approved as aforesaid, a teacher must successfully complete the graduate course. In graded courses they must pass with a grade of B (or its equivalent) or better.

c. Teachers, following receipt, shall promptly submit grade reports, or official transcripts for graded courses or proof of completion for non-graded courses, to the Superintendent or designee, along with proof of payment for the courses taken.

2. Tuition reimbursement shall be in an amount equal to fifty percent (50%) of the cost of the course up to a maximum payment of the cost of a three (3) credit graduate course at the current rate charged by the University of Rhode Island excluding any fees and financial aid from any other sources. Teachers are eligible for one (1) course reimbursement per semester.

3. All courses must be pre-approved by the Superintendent of Schools or designee.

4. Application for tuition reimbursement for first-semester courses must be received no later than September 25th; for second-semester courses by February 1st; and for summer courses by July 10th.

5. The funds available for annual tuition reimbursement as specified in Paragraph 1.b herein shall be $15,000.

a. Funds for each (fiscal) year will be separated and made available in equal amounts for each application period as specified in this document.

b. Funds from any unused application period will be rolled over and made available in the following application period.

c. Any (remaining) funds at the end of the year will be distributed equally to any teachers previously denied reimbursement.

6. Applications for approval received for each application deadline as specified in Paragraph 4 herein shall not be on a first-come, first-served basis, but rather, prioritized as follows:

Priority 1: Degree graduate courses or non-degree graduate courses taken in teaching field.

Priority 2: Certificate renewal courses not necessarily in a graduate program but previously approved by the Superintendent s or designee.

Priority 3: Those teachers who have not achieved a Bachelor’s +30 or higher.

Priority 4: Any member who receives reimbursement in one (1) period in a year will subsequently, for that year, be placed in the priority lists below those who have not received funding for that year.

Priority 5: All else being equal, all teachers whose applications are received by the application deadline(s) shall be decided by seniority.

7. No teacher who has received notice of suspension or non-renewal shall be eligible for tuition reimbursement except for courses for which application was made and approved prior to such notice.

8.Teachers earning credit in fall or spring semesters shall be reimbursed within forty-five (45) days of submission of evidence of satisfactory completion of the course work to the Superintendent s or designee. Teachers who fail to submit satisfactory evidence as outlined in Paragraph 1.c herein, within the forty-five (45) days indicated, forfeit the right to reimbursement.

9. Teachers earning credit in the summer shall be reimbursed within forty-five (45) days of submission of the documentation required in Paragraph 1.c herein, and only if continuing in the employ of the North Kingstown School System.

A. NATIONAL BOARD FOR PROFESSIONAL TEACHING STANDARDS CERTIFICATION

1. Teachers possessing National Teacher Board Certification shall receive three thousand dollars ($3000) per year. The National Teacher Board Certification stipend shall be in addition to any advanced-degree stipend.

2. The School Committee shall assist and support the efforts of Board Certification candidates by providing five (5) paid days for professional-development leave for use exclusively related to National Board Certification. Effort should be made to use the School District’s established scheduled professional development days where possible. When available, the School Department shall also provide for the use of loaned materials, such as video cameras, computers, and any other equipment that may be useful in portfolio preparation. There shall be a limit of two (2) teachers supported in this program per year.