Professional Development Fund Article 20
Professional Development Funds 23.1.1 Two Professional Development Funds, a Professional Development Support Fund and an Education Leave Fund, shall be established to support professional development activities as defined in 23.2. On April 1st of each year, the College will allocate an amount equal to no less than 0.9% of total faculty salary (exclusive of severance payments) to the Professional Development Support Fund, and an amount equal to no less than 0.6% of total faculty salary to the Educational Leave Fund. Any unused balances in these funds shall carry over to the next budget year.
23.1.2 The College agrees to provide the Association with the authority to administer the program on behalf of the College for those activities approved by the College in accordance with 23.2, 23.4 and 23.5.
23.1.3 Nothing in this Agreement prevents the College from funding professional development activities in addition to those activities supported through the Professional Development Funds (23.1.1) in accordance with the procedures described in this Article.
TRAINING AND EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT 9.1 The Employer and the Union recognize the value and benefit of education and training designed to enhance an employee’s ability to perform their job duties. Training and employee development opportunities will be provided to employees in accordance with Employer policies and available resources.
9.2 Attendance at employer-required training will be considered time worked. The Employer will make reasonable attempts to schedule employer-required training during an employee’s regular work shift. The Employer will pay the registration and associated travel costs in accordance with Article 23, Travel, for employer-required training.
Clinical Management for Behavioral Health Services (CMBHS) System
1. request access to CMBHS via the CMBHS Helpline at (000) 000-0000.
2. use the CMBHS time frames specified by System Agency.
3. use System Agency-specified functionality of the CMBHS in its entirety.
4. submit all bills and reports to System Agency through the CMBHS, unless otherwise instructed.
EMPLOYER AND UNION SHALL ACQUAINT NEW EMPLOYEES The Employer agrees to acquaint new employees with the fact that a Collective Agreement is in effect and with the conditions of employment set out in the Articles dealing with Union Security and Dues Check-off. The Employer agrees to provide the name, worksite phone number, and location of the new employee's xxxxxxx in the letter of hiring. Whenever the xxxxxxx is employed in the same work area as the new employee, the employee's immediate supervisor will introduce her to her xxxxxxx. The Employer agrees that a Union xxxxxxx will be given an opportunity to interview each new employee within regular working hours, without loss of pay, for thirty (30) minutes sometime during the first thirty (30) days of employment for the purpose of acquainting the new employee with the benefits and duties of Union membership and the employee's responsibilities and obligations to the Employer and the Union.
Employer Union Relations No employee or group of employees shall undertake to represent the Union at meetings with the Employer without the proper authorization of the Union. To implement this, the Union shall supply the Employer with the names of its officers and similarly, the Employer shall supply the Union with a list of its supervisory or other personnel with whom the Union may be required to transact business.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT A. The Board of Education agrees to pay the actual tuition costs of courses taken by a teacher at accredited colleges or universities up to three courses per two (2) year fiscal periods from July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2008 and July 1, 2008 to June 30, 2010 respectively, except as follows:
1. No teacher may be reimbursed for courses taken during the first year of teaching in Vineland.
2. Teachers taking courses in the second and third years of employment in Vineland will not receive remuneration until tenure has been secured. The remuneration will then be retroactive and will be paid to the teacher in a lump sum within sixty (60) days after the teacher has secured tenure.
3. All courses must be pre-approved by the Superintendent or his designee subject to the following requirements:
(a) A teacher must provide official documentation that he/she has obtained a grade of B or better;
(b) Reimbursement shall be paid only for courses directly related to teacher’s teaching field which increase the teacher’s content knowledge and are related to the teacher’s current certification, as determined by the Superintendent or his/her designee in his/her sole discretion; no reimbursement shall be paid for courses leading to a post graduate or professional degree in a field other than education or teaching. Further, effective September 1, 2010, all newly hired teachers shall not be eligible for reimbursement until they are tenured, and they shall not be eligible for retroactive reimbursement upon gaining tenure for courses taken prior to being tenured.
(c) The maximum total payments to be made by the Board shall not exceed $130,000.00. Courses shall be applied for no earlier than the following dates: Summer Session - April 1 Fall/Winter Session - June 1 Spring Session - October 1 Courses must, as set forth hereinabove in this sub-article 18.A.3, be pre-approved by the Superintendent or his designee, prior to the teacher commencing the course(s); and
(d) Teacher taking courses shall sign a contract requiring them to reimburse the Board for all tuition paid for a course if the teacher shall voluntarily leave the employ of the Board within one (1) full school/academic year of completion of said course, except that reimbursement shall not be required when the teacher shall voluntarily leave the employ of the Board due to a significant, documented life change.
4. Tuition reimbursement costs shall be a sum not to exceed the actual cost of college credits charged in an accredited public State college/University of the State of New Jersey.
B. When the Superintendent initiates in-service training courses, workshops, conferences and programs designed to improve the quality of instruction, the cooperation of the Vineland Education Association will be solicited. Notwithstanding the above, the initiation of in-service training courses, workshops, conferences and programs shall be determined solely at the discretion of the Board.
C. One professional leave day may be granted to a teacher upon request, according to the following guidelines:
1. The professional day may be for attendance at a workshop, seminar or visit to another school for the expressed purpose of self professional improvement for the job.
2. The request shall arrive in the office of the Superintendent of Schools at least ten (10) working days prior to the date requested and shall be reviewed by the immediate supervisor prior to submission. The Board reserves the right to deny a professional leave day before or immediately following a holiday or on a day which by its nature suggests a hardship for providing a substitute.
3. No more than two teachers from any one elementary school or from any one department in the secondary schools may be granted a professional leave for a given day.
4. The teacher may be required to submit a report to the Superintendent of Schools, Assistant Superintendent, supervisor (s), principal and staff regarding the activity of the professional day.
5. Costs incurred by the teacher for the professional day authorized under this Section shall be the teacher’s responsibility.
6. A maximum of 90 professional leave days may be authorized for the school year which shall be apportioned as follows: elementary, 35; grades seven and eight, 20; and high school, 35.
D. If the Board initiates a teacher’s attendance at a professional workshop, seminar or visit, the expenses shall be the responsibility of the Board. Further, this day shall not be subtracted from the 90 professional leave days granted to teachers of the Association.
E. The Board agrees to pay the full cost of courses taken by secretaries related to skills and knowledge improvement when such courses are required and approved by the Board.
F. The Board and the Association agree that it is important to communicate when developing and implementing current and future learning technologies, including but not limited to distance and on-line learning.
Employee Development The Employer may provide employees the opportunity to participate in appropriate seminars, workshops or short courses. When possible and appropriate the Employer will provide to all staff information on seminars, workshops or short courses by posting a notice on the Employer’s internal web site.
EMPLOYER AND UNION TO ACQUAINT NEW EMPLOYEES
(a) At the time of hire new employees will be advised that a collective agreement is in effect and of the conditions of employment set out in the articles dealing with Union Security and Dues Check-off.
(b) A new employee shall also be provided with:
(1) the name, location and work telephone number of the xxxxxxx; and
(2) an authorization form for union dues check-off.
(c) Upon request, the xxxxxxx shall be advised of the name, location and work telephone number of the new employee.
(d) The xxxxxxx will be given an opportunity to interview each new employee within regular working hours, without loss of pay, for 15 minutes sometime during the first 30 days of employment.
(e) The Union will provide the Employer with an up-to-date list of stewards' names, work locations and work telephone numbers in order that the Employer may meet its obligation in (b)(1) above.
(f) The Union will be provided with a copy of the completed and signed authorization form for dues check-off for all new employees.
Selection Planning Prior to the issuance to consultants of any requests for proposals, the proposed plan for the selection of consultants under the Project shall be furnished to the Association for its review and approval, in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 1 of Appendix 1 to the Consultant Guidelines. Selection of all consultants’ services shall be undertaken in accordance with such selection plan as shall have been approved by the Association, and with the provisions of said paragraph 1.
