REDUCTION IN FORCE A. In any reduction in the bargaining unit as a result of budgetary actions or curriculum and/or administrative organization, every effort will be made to transfer affected teachers to other similar positions within the school system where vacancies exist and for which the affected teachers are certified.
B. If no similar positions are available, rehired retirees, provisionally certificated teachers and non- tenured teachers in the subjects and/or grade levels affected will be laid off or separated from the active employment rolls prior to tenured teachers in the same subjects and/or grade levels. If it becomes necessary to lay off tenured teachers, they shall be laid off in the inverse order of their seniority. An appropriate seniority list will be made available for inspection when a tenured teacher has been laid off and disputes a seniority ranking. The seniority list will be developed from the last date of employment and furnished to the Association. If there is a tie, the affected teachers will have seniority calculated as defined in Article I, Section B.7. Teachers on an unpaid leave of absence shall retain accrued seniority. Teachers on military leave, Association leave and on layoff shall continue to accrue seniority during that time. A countywide list of all certificated personnel employed as of July 1 of each year shall be compiled and available upon request of FCTA. The list will indicate name, date of first employment, date of current employment and department and location code.
C. Teachers on layoff shall be placed on a priority recall list in accordance with their seniority. The teachers shall be recalled as vacancies become available in accordance with their position on the list and their certification for said vacancies.
D. When vacancies become available, the teacher will be notified of the vacancy by phone and email sent to the last known address. The teacher so notified shall notify the responsible administrator, in writing, in not more than ten (10) days after receipt of notification of the vacancy as to whether or not the position will be accepted. The teacher may decline the first offer of employment. If the teacher declines the second offer of a position, reemployment rights shall be forfeited. All teachers shall remain on the priority recall list for a maximum of three (3) years.
E. While a layoff continues, no new teachers shall be hired except in those unique circumstances where (a) there are no teachers on the priority recall list qualified to fill the vacancy or (b) all qualified teachers on the priority recall list decline the offer to fill the vacancy.
F. Any layoff due to reduction in force shall not be subject to any dismissal procedure required elsewhere in this Agreement.
G. Teachers recalled under these provisions shall have restored to them all previously accrued sick leave and personal leave.
H. The Board and the Association recognize that appropriate governmental agencies that have jurisdiction may promulgate rulings and/or regulations that may impact this Article. If such rulings or regulations cause any provisions to be in conflict, the parties shall meet within ten (10) days for the purpose of renegotiating only the provision(s) held to be contrary.
REDUCTION IN FORCE (RIF 13.1 This Section 13 shall apply to all Covered Employees.
13.2 As provided in state law and Board policy, the Board may cancel the employment contracts of Covered Employees when there is a justifiable decrease in the number of covered employee positions as a result of a fiscal exigency or program change as determined by the Board. However, before any meeting of the Board at which the Board will consider a proposed resolution or decision that a fiscal exigency exists or a program change is to be made that may require the cancellation of the employment contract of one or more Covered Employees, the Superintendent shall convene a meeting of the Professional Council established pursuant to Section 7 above to consult regarding the nature and extent of the fiscal exigency or proposed program change, and regarding any plan then contemplated by the administration for reduction of covered employee positions.
13.3 If the Board decides that the number of covered employee positions is to be reduced, normal attrition, retirement, and resignations shall be considered prior to any cancellation of Covered Employee employment contracts. In the event that cancellation of Covered Employee employment contracts is necessary to achieve the reduction required by the Board, the following shall be considered as significant factors in determining which particular employment contracts will be recommended for cancellation:
13.3.1 The needs of the district.
13.3.2 The best interest of the students enrolled in the district.
13.3.3 Education, licensing endorsements and other professional qualifications.
13.3.4 Job performance over the previous three year period as measured using the criteria and standards set by the Board for evaluation of Teachers and Counselors in accordance with applicable state law and state board of education rules governing evaluation of licensed personnel.
13.4 The probationary or non-probationary status of a Covered Employee, and the seniority of a Covered Employee, shall also be considered as additional factors in determining which employment contracts will be recommended for cancellation as a result of the decrease in covered employee positions, except that such additional factors may be considered only after the consideration of the factors set forth in the Paragraph 13.3 above, and only if consideration of such additional factors is in the best interest of the students enrolled in the district. The parties agree that such additional factors shall be applied as follows: (1) as between Covered Employees in the same endorsement area for whom the factors set forth subparagraph 13.3.1 to 13.3.4, above are not determinative as to whose employment contract should be cancelled, the Probationary I Covered Employees should be cancelled first, Probationary II Covered Employees second, and Probationary III Covered Employees third, before the employment contracts of Non-probationary Status Covered Employees are cancelled; and (2) as between Non-probationary Status Covered Employees in the same licensed and endorsement area for whom the factors set forth subparagraph 13.3.1 to 13.3.4, above are not determinative as to whose employment contract should be cancelled, the employment contracts of Non-probationary Status Covered Employees will be cancelled in the inverse order of seniority.
13.5 Covered Employees who have been subject to a RIF shall have the right to be recalled to a covered employee position, for which they are qualified, within the District for one (1) year from the date of RIF. Covered Employees shall be recalled in reverse order of RIF and previously accrued benefits shall be restored.
13.6 Probationary Covered Employees whose contracts will be canceled during, instead of at the end of, a school year; and Non-probationary Status Covered Employees whose contracts will be canceled either during, or at the end of, a school year, shall have a right to a hearing on the propriety of such cancellation in accordance with Board policy and regulations. If such a hearing is desired, the Covered Employee will request it in writing to the Board or Superintendent within ten (10) days after being notified of the proposed contract cancellation. If a hearing is requested, the Board will appoint an impartial hearing officer, who will specify the procedural rules to apply at such hearing. At the hearing, the Covered Employee may be represented by a person of the Covered Employee’s choice.
Staff Reduction 14.01 In the event of a layoff, the Employer shall give the employee(s) affected the required notice under the Employment Standards Act and will give as much additional notice to the Union that is reasonably possible in all of the circumstances.
14.02 Part-time and probationary employees shall be laid off first provided there are sufficient qualified employees with seniority who are able to do the required work. In the event there is a requirement for further reductions in staff, employees shall be laid off in inverse order of company seniority, provided the remaining employees are qualified and able to perform the required work. An employee whose position is abolished or who is displaced shall be entitled to exercise his/her company seniority rights and displace the most junior employee in the bargaining unit, provided he/she is either qualified to do the required work or can be qualified with minimal training.
14.03 When an employee is laid off, the employee will immediately register his/her name with the Employer in order that he/she may be notified of any work available. Laid off employees will, if qualified and able to perform the required work, be returned to work in order of company seniority when staff covered by this Agreement is increased, or vacancies occur.
(a) An Employee who is unemployed at the time of a recall must report for duty within forty-eight (48) hours of being contracted unless the employee can provide a valid and satisfactory reason to the Employer for not doing so.
(b) An employee who is employed at the time of recall must report for duty or give a satisfactory reason to the Employer for not doing so within eight (8) days from the date of mailing the notification to report by registered mail to the employee’s last known address.
(c) It shall be the employee’s responsibility to keep the Employer notified of his/her current telephone number as well as his address so that they will be up to date at all times.
(d) In the event an employee does not report or provide a satisfactory reason for failing to do so under (a) or (b) above, the employee shall forfeit his/her seniority rights under this Agreement and his/her employment shall be deemed to be terminated.
PERSONNEL REDUCTION 1. When the District deems a reduction in force is necessary, it shall provide notification to the Union no later than notification is provided to the affected employees. Meetings with the Union for discussion of the effects of the proposed reduction will be scheduled upon request. Reductions shall be accomplished in accordance with the following provisions:
A. Requests shall be made for volunteers in the affected classifications within the division. Management reserves the right to reject volunteers based on business needs.
B. Any employee subject to layoff can accept and/or request a voluntary demotion to a lower classification that they are qualified to fill providing a position vacancy exists.
C. Temporary positions within the affected classification, within the division, shall first be eliminated.
D. Probationary employees in the affected classification, within the division, shall be subject to layoff before layoff of regular full-time employees.
E. Part time employees in the affected classification, within the division, shall be subject to layoff before regular full-time employees.
2. The determination regarding a layoff of regular full-time employees shall be based on the following criteria applied to the affected division(s):
A. Seniority within the classification.
B. In the event two (2) or more employees have the same classification seniority, District seniority will be used.
C. In the event two or more employees have the same seniority, in the classification and within the district, active discipline history will be considered. In the event no discipline is documented, the last four digits of the social security number will be used retaining the employee with the highest number.
D. An employee subject to layoff can move back to the most recently held vacant position within the classification series within the division. If the position is held by another employee, the person with the most classification series seniority retains the position.
E. An employee subject to layoff can move back to the most recently held vacant position. If the position is held by another employee, the person with the most District seniority retains the position.
F. An employee subject to layoff that moves into a lower paid position will receive a minimum 5% reduction in pay, not to exceed the top of the lower position pay scale.
3. Employees laid off under this collective bargaining agreement shall receive at least six (6) weeks' notice, payment in lieu of notice, or any combination of notice and payment. A copy of this notice will be provided to the Union.
4. Reduction in Force Appeal Committee
A. Concurrent with the announcement of a reduction in force, an appeals committee will be formed. The Union and the District will each select two (2) representatives who in turn will select a fifth member who shall serve as the chairperson of the committee.
B. Employees subject to reduction in force may, within five (5) working days of receipt of notice, request an appeal in writing to the Union and/or HR Director to review the facts related to their individual concerns related to the process.
C. Within ten (10) working days of receipt of the appeal, the committee shall review, investigate, and receive statements from the appealing employee, the division director, and/or any other relevant persons as determined by the committee. The committee will serve as an advisory committee to the Chief Health Officer and recommend action as they may agree upon. The committee shall submit a statement of findings to the Chief Health Officer within ten (10) working days of the review. The committee shall also state a recommended action upon a majority vote of the committee members.
D. The Chief Health Officer shall review the committee's report and issue a decision that either accepts or rejects the recommendation or, at his/her discretion, directs the implementation of some other action. The decision of the Chief Health Officer is final and binding.
