Common use of Professional Departments Clause in Contracts

Professional Departments. 1. Work within professional departments is an important component of professional learning to promote common practices within departments and focus on Agency and district needs. An administrative representative shall oversee each department and will be identified to Association members by the last Friday in August. The administrative representative will work in conjunction with the involvement and support of their assigned Association Department Chairperson. To that end, each member of the unit shall be assigned to one department and shall attend all meetings. By letter of agreement, the health coordinator shall participate in the departmental activities of the Washtenaw ISD. 2. Department meetings shall occur two times per year, once in each semester, and are intended to last no less than two hours. Additional meetings can be scheduled with the express permission of the Assistant Superintendent for Special Education as determined necessary. 3. All Department Chairperson assignments shall be posted annually in the Spring using an abbreviated application and, subject to the availability of budget funds, awarded at the discretion of the Assistant Superintendent for Special Education, in collaboration with the department administrative representative. 4. The responsibilities of the Department Chairperson are collaborative with the administrative representative and include at least the following: a. Propose, coordinate, and plan departmental professional learning opportunities. b. Plan, facilitate and lead department meetings. c. Provide written summaries of all meetings and an annual update of the departmental work for the department administrator to communicate within the Agency. d. Serve on the XXXXX Professional Learning Committee. e. Serve as a standing invitee on the interview team for prospective members of the professional department. 5. The Department Chairperson shall be paid an annual stipend of $500 to provide compensation associated with the duties of the position that may occur outside the normal course of the workday.