Highly Qualified Teacher. The Board and the Association recognize that federal and state law requires certain teachers to be "highly qualified" (HQ) as defined by law and the Ohio Department of Education. The law also requires the Board to develop a plan ensuring that these certain teachers will become HQ. The parties agree that teachers shall be given at least one (1) year from the time they are notified, or otherwise in good faith should have become aware, that they are not HQ to take the necessary steps to become HQ as required by law. To comply with such statutes, requirements, and agreement, the parties agree to the following: 1. The Association and the Administration shall inform the bargaining unit members that it is their individual responsibility to make sure they are highly qualified according to law. Also, that each member shall update his/her Individual Professional Development Plan to reflect his/her efforts to become highly qualified. 2. The Administration will make reasonable efforts to make unit members aware of current and new definitions, interpretations, and standards of the law that may affect their standing as a Highly Qualified Teacher (HQT). 3. The Administration shall provide professional development opportunities for teachers to become "highly qualified", which shall include, but not be limited to: a. priority placement for fee waivers and tuition reimbursement. 4. Should the teacher choose the option of taking the Praxis II / Ohio Assessments for Educators (OAE) subject area test(s) to become highly qualified, the district shall cover the cost of the test(s) only once. 5. In addition, the Administration may assist the teacher in becoming a Highly Qualified Teacher in the following ways: a. A voluntary or involuntary transfer into an open position which would provide a Highly Qualified Teacher designation. 6. While there are currently no consequences, at the state or federal level, for failure to obtain Highly Qualified status, the parties agree that should the state and/or federal governments dictate to the Board that the Board will lose federal and/or state funding if certain identified unit members continue to teach without having Highly Qualified status, or if the state and/or federal government otherwise does not permit the professional-staff member to continue in his/her assignment without financial consequence to the district that is more than nominal or to its Treasurer (i.e., a risk of finding for recovery), the following shall occur: a. The Association and the Administration shall meet to review the directives and penalties provided to the District, by the federal and/or state governments, concerning identified teachers who are not Highly Qualified, and review what options, such as seeking waivers, if such options exist. b. Absent any waivers that are available or other options, as determined by the administration the teachers so identified as not Highly Qualified shall be subject to the suspension of their contracts as if reduced in force pursuant to section 20.1 et seq above, and shall not be subject to recall from the recall list set forth in Section
Appears in 4 contracts
Samples: Collective Bargaining Agreement, Collective Bargaining Agreement, Collective Bargaining Agreement
