Professional Development and Training The Company shall pay for or reimburse the Executive for any reasonable professional development or training.
Professional Dues The school district will pay the annual dues for the Superintendent’s membership in the American Association of School Administrators, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, and Nebraska Council of School Administrators. The Superintendent’s membership in other professional organizations will be considered annually and may be approved at the discretion of the school board.
Physical/Occupational Therapy This plan covers physical and occupational therapy when: • ordered by a physician; • received from a licensed physical or occupational therapist; • a program is implemented to provide habilitative or rehabilitative services. See Autism Services when physical therapy and occupational therapy services are rendered as part of the treatment of autism spectrum disorder. The amount you pay and any benefit limit will be the same whether the services are provided for habilitative or rehabilitative purposes.
Professional Development 9.01 Continuous professional development is a hallmark of professional nursing practice. As a self-regulating profession, nursing recognizes the importance of maintaining a dynamic practice environment which includes ongoing learning, the maintenance of competence, career development, career counselling and succession planning. The parties agree that professional development includes a diverse range of activities, including but not limited to formal academic programs; short-term continuing education activities; certification programs; independent learning committee participation. The parties recognize their joint responsibility in and commitment to active participation in the area of professional development.
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.
Professional Development Leave A. Policy. Professional development leave shall be made available to employees who meet the requirements set forth below. Such leaves are granted to increase an employee's value to the University through enhanced opportunities for professional renewal, educational travel, study, formal education, research, writing, or other experience of professional value, not as a reward for service.
PROFESSIONAL AUTONOMY 1. Teachers shall, within the bounds of the prescribed curriculum, and consistent with effective educational practice and the Evaluation Criteria, Local Appendix A, have individual professional autonomy in determining the methods of instruction, and the planning and presentation of course materials in the classes of pupils to which they are assigned.
Professional Development Days Upon request, each Employee shall be granted at least three (3) professional development days annually for professional development, at the Basic Rate of Pay. An Employee shall be advised, prior to taking any professional development days of any transportation, registration fees, subsistence and other expenses that will be paid by the Employer. Such hours not used in each fiscal year shall not be carried forward into subsequent years. Applications for such paid professional development opportunities shall be made in writing, to the Employer as early as possible.
Professional Development Program (a) The parties agree to continue a Professional Development Program for the maintenance and development of the faculty members' professional competence and effectiveness. It is agreed that maintenance of currency of subject knowledge, the improvement of performance of faculty duties, and the maintenance and improvement of professional competence, including instructional skills, are the primary professional development activities of faculty members.
(b) Information collected as part of this program shall be the sole property of the faculty member. This information or any judgments arising from this program shall not be used to determine non-renewal or termination of a faculty member's contract, suspension or dismissal of a faculty member, denial of advancement on the salary scale, nor affect any other administrative decisions pertaining to the promotion or employment status of the faculty member.
(c) A joint advisory committee consisting of three regular faculty members who shall be elected by and are P.D. Committee Chairpersons and three administrators shall make recommendations for the operation, financing and management of the Professional Development Program.
Professional Improvement Leave A teacher may be granted leave to be used for the teacher's professional improvement. Professional improvement days may be approved by the superintendent and used for the purpose of:
1. Visitation to view other instructional techniques or programs.
2. Conferences, workshops, or seminars conducted by colleges, universities, or vocational schools. The teacher planning to use a professional improvement day shall notify the principal at least one week in advance of the proposed absence. The teacher shall be required to file a written report with the principal within one (1) week of attendance at such event. Also, the teacher may/shall be requested to return with materials and/or information to be shared with other teachers. The expense of attending such visitation, conference, workshop, or seminar will be paid by the Board when the proper reimbursement applications are sent to the district office. In cases where attendance at a convention, workshop, seminar, or other educational activity is deemed to be of value only to the individual teacher, leave may be granted for attendance with either no expenses or limited expenses being underwritten by the district. In these cases, no written or verbal reports will be required.
