1.  Length of Day

The principal shall identify the regular building hours for a building in the Building Staff Handbook.  The principal may assign teachers to schedules that are different from the building hours in the following circumstances:  (a) if a member voluntarily agrees to the modified schedule; or (b) if the modified schedule is implemented for a newly created position and included in the job announcement.  The regular building hours must provide staff a minimum of fifteen (15) minutes prior to student contact. A member’s workday shall not exceed eight (8) consecutive hours.

All members shall have a flexible workday provided they are available fifteen (15) minutes before their first scheduled assignment starts and fifteen (15) minutes after their last scheduled assignment, and provided they attend inservice sessions, staff meetings, scheduled meetings, meetings pertaining to student needs (see A-5) and are available for required duties.  Meeting language does not apply to Fridays following student dismissal.  At the beginning of the school year members will give written notice to the principal identifying the daily start time and end time of their flexible day.  Changes to the identified flexible day may be made by the member by giving written notice to the principal at any time in advance.

On occasion the principal or District may identify a day on which the members must work the regular work hours as shown in the Building Staff Handbook, or an alternate schedule, rather than their flexible workday.  Except in an emergency, the principal/District will give members a week’s notice of the non-flexible workday.

On Fridays, the days immediately before holidays, or on days when there are required events after the school day for which members must return, members may leave following student dismissal.  Fridays or days immediately before holidays which are inservice or assessment days, shall be considered regular workdays unless the principal excuses staff early.

a. Opening of School Days

There shall not be less than three (3) eight (8) hour inservice days at the beginning of the school year with one-half (1/2) of the time reserved for member work purposes.  At least eight (8) hours of member-directed time will be scheduled as consecutive hours on one (1) day.

 

b. Early Release Days/Late Arrival Days

Early release or and late arrival days for students may be designated by administration.  These will be used for the purposes of staff development, in-service or the training necessary to assume responsibilities associated with school improvement. The building principal, in consultation with District leadership, site council and staff at a building, will determine the training priorities for his/her staff on a yearly basis.  On early release days, any planned inservice or staff development activities will not start until fifteen (15) minutes after student dismissal.  On late arrival days, all activities will end fifteen (15) minutes prior to start of school.  The early release days set in the calendar for schools K-5 will be divided monthly so one-half (1/2) of the available days are reserved for member-directed preparation/planning and one-half (1/2) of the available days for staff development, inservice or training.  This division will be determined by the school principal.  Beginning with the 2012-13 school year, the District shall have responsibility for determining the content and activities for any early release/late arrival day.

As long as the district maintains early release/late start time as described above, elementary members will receive five (5) non-student days for curriculum and instruction work throughout the school year.  These days will be structured accordingly:  two(2) hours reserved for district professional development and five and one-half (5 ½ ) hours of member-directed preparation time.  One of these days shall include the elementary inservice day as indicated on the 2011-2012 Elementary Calendar.

 

 

2. Student Assessment Days

Members shall receive two (2) days at the elementary level, two-and-one-half (2½) days at the middle school level, and three (3) days at the high school level reserved for grading and member work purposes.  In addition, one (1) full day shall be provided at the end of the year for grading and member work purposes.  A half (½) day shall be defined as four (4) consecutive hours not including lunch. See Appendix C.

Elementary members will receive one (1) of the two (2) grading days as eight (8) hours of substitute time for assessment purposes.

3. School Improvement Planning for Instruction, Assessment and Professional Development

The District will allocate no less than $75,000 annually in additional compensation for members to use as authorized by the school principal following advisory recommendations from the site council.
 
4. Lunch Time

Members shall receive a continuous thirty (30) minute duty-free lunch period preceded by a five (5) minute duty free passing time and immediately followed by an additional five (5) minute duty free passing time.

5. Meetings within the Regular Workday

Meetings at which attendance is required of all members in the building will be scheduled within the eight (8) hour workday and be limited to two (2) per month.


6. Activities outside the Regular Workday

a.  The District may assign members up to eight (8) hours per year of evening or afternoon activities involving parent contact, outside the eight (8) hour day.  Member time will be counted at no less than fifteen (15) minutes before the event begins and no less than fifteen (15) minutes after the event ends.  These activities may be up to three (3) hours in length each.  Compensation will be in minute-for-minute trade time or pay at a member's daily hourly pay rate.  The District elects trade or pay.

Retain memo of understanding titled "Comp. Time and Duties."  (Appendix B)


b. Members who are authorized by administration and agree to participate in supervisory, professional or instructional responsibilities, other than those described above or those on the extra duty schedule, after the eight (8) hour day, will receive minute-for-minute compensation at the member's daily hourly pay rate.

 

7. Conferences with Parents

Building principals, in consultation with staff, will develop a parent conference schedule for the school year.  The schedule will provide members with fifteen (15) minute rest breaks and thirty (30) minute lunch breaks.  The combination of regular workday time and conference time shall not exceed twelve (12) hours per day and forty (40) hours per week.  If the number of conferences needed cannot be accommodated within the conference schedule,  then, by mutual agreement  with his/her administrator, a member may schedule additional conference time at his/her daily hourly rate of pay.

Elementary teachers will participate in up to four (4) days per year of parent conferences, with eight (8) hours of student-free conference preparation time provided prior to each set of scheduled conferences.  Full time kindergarten members shall receive double the amount of elementary days for conferencing purposes.  Middle school teachers will participate in up to four (4) days per year of parent conferences, with four (4) hours of student-free conference preparation time provided prior to each set of scheduled conferences.  The district may schedule eight (8) hours of parent conference time at the high school level twice yearly.  See Appendix C.

 

B. Daily and Weekly Preparation Time

1. Elementary Schools (K-5)

Elementary teachers will receive a minimum of five hundred and twenty-five (525) minutes weekly.  Two hundred (200) minutes of that five hundred twenty-five (525) will be member directed and uninterruptible.  Within the five hundred twenty-five (525) minutes, each elementary member will receive a minimum of twenty-five (25) minutes preparation time during the student day on the non-early release days.  Blocks of fifteen (15) minutes or less during the student day are not to be counted for purposes of meeting the five hundred twenty-five (525) minutes requirement of prep time.
 
2. Middle Schools (6-7-8)

Middle school teachers will receive a weekly minimum of three hundred (300) minutes (includes planning and preparation activities and conferences) within the member work week and at least one (1) daily uninterruptible prep period during the student school hours.  Blocks of fifteen (15) minutes or less during the student day are not to be counted for purposes of meeting the three hundred (300) minutes of prep time.  Up to four (4) times per year, scheduling may necessitate the loss of the daily prep period.

3. High Schools

High school teachers shall be provided with one period per day of uninterrupted preparation time, or the equivalent total number of weekly minutes.

4. Extra Duty or Building and District-level Activities

Members who, on occasion, miss all or part of their guaranteed preparation time as a result of activities associated with compensated extra duty assignments shall not be due additional compensation or preparation time.

Members who miss guaranteed preparation time as a result of full day building or district level activities shall not be due additional compensation or preparation time.  Members missing preparation time due to partial day activities will be compensated for their loss or provided equivalent preparation time.

C. Workload

 

1. Elementary and Middle School

Daily student contact time shall not exceed five (5) hours and twenty-five (25) minutes.


2. High School

Daily instruction time shall not exceed five (5) hours and twenty-five (25) minutes.  Members who agree to accept additional instructional time responsibility beyond the daily limit will be compensated at the rate of 16.6% of the member’s daily base rate of pay.  An additional six (6) minutes is allowable for daily announcements.

 

3. Duties in Lieu of Teaching

Middle and high school members may be assigned duties during the student contact day in lieu of a regular teaching assignment, subject to the time limits of this Article.  However, members may be assigned duty during assemblies or special schedules for only the duration of the event.  Members who voluntarily agree to perform an otherwise non-compensated duty outside of the student contact day will be compensated by comp time or by minute-for-minute pay at the member’s hourly rate at the member’s choice.


4. Reasonable Schedules

The administration will take efforts to ensure that no member's combined instructional and duty schedule is unreasonable (e.g. does not afford opportunity for restroom breaks) and will attempt to resolve satisfactorily concerns which members may raise.  Members whose concerns are not satisfied at the school level may appeal for consideration at each administrative level up to and including the superintendent.

D. Class Size

 

1. The District and ECBC agree that the pupil-member ratio is an important factor in maintaining quality education and agree to establish a class size committee to address concerns from members or administrators regarding class size issues.


2. A member who believes his/her class size is excessive compared to other members in the District may discuss the situation with the principal.  If not satisfied with the response at this level, the member may discuss the matter with the assistant superintendent and may suggest option(s) for the District's consideration.  The member, upon request either to the Association representative or to the assistant superintendent, will have his/her concern addressed by the class size committee within twenty (20) school days of making the request and providing information the committee may require.

3. The Association president shall be provided with a District print-out of class size by school and by class by September 15 and by February 1 of each school year.

4. By September 15 of each year a class size committee of three (3) members appointed by the Association president and three (3) administrators will meet to review class sizes, consider options, and formulate recommendations to the Superintendent for consideration.  The class size committee will meet as necessary to address concerns it receives from members or administrators.  The committee will consider the following factors in deciding upon its recommendation(s):

a. The number of students in the class

b. School and District class size averages

c. The number and characteristics of special need students

d. The instructional level of the classroom (e.g. primary, intermediate, etc.)

e. The member's professional experience

f. The amount of instructional assistant time or specialist assistance provided

g. Other factors as suggested by the member

 

(Class size computations for a grade or school shall be made on the ratio of classroom members to students exclusive of specialists.  If a school Council, however, agrees to increase its level of specialists or otherwise modify its staffing allocation, then such occurrence should be a factor considered in class size discussions by the class size committee.)

In situations where a class size or a specialist load exceeds the level desirable, the committee will consider recommending the following options:

a. Transfer/reassignment of students

b. Adding certified staff

c. Additional instructional assistant time

d. Development of split classrooms

e. No changes due to financial/physical space/time limitations

f. Other options mutually agreed to between the members and administrators on the committee

 

E. Teaching Materials

Members shall have the opportunity to provide input to the principal concerning the acquisition and allocation of textbooks, instructional and assessment materials, supplies and equipment, whether through grade level, departmental or instructional team meetings.  Instructional materials required to implement a program required by the District will be provided to a member before a member is required to implement the program.  The District will provide opportunities for training in new programs.  If the use of technology or technological instruction is required by the District, the District will provide the equipment, software, the opportunity for training, and technical support necessary to perform the duties.

F. The members may agree to sub during their prep time at their own hourly rate for other teachers on a voluntary basis.  Members supervising another teacher’s class for the entire day when a substitute is not available will receive the entire sub pay.  If more than one member shares supervisory duties when a substitute is not available, they will share the sub pay.

Counselors may be assigned for up to two (2) hours in emergency situations to cover classes when a substitute has not arrived or is unavailable.  Any time beyond that will be paid at the substitute rate.