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.
School District For purposes of administering this Agreement, the term "School District" shall mean the School Board or its designated representative.
Hospital This plan covers behavioral health services if you are inpatient at a general or specialty hospital. See Inpatient Services in Section 3 for additional information. This plan covers services at behavioral health residential treatment facilities, which provide: • clinical treatment; • medication evaluation management; and • 24-hour on site availability of health professional staff, as required by licensing regulations. This plan covers intermediate care services, which are facility-based programs that are: • more intensive than traditional outpatient services; • less intensive than 24-hour inpatient hospital or residential treatment facility services; and • used as a step down from a higher level of care; or • used a step-up from standard care level of care. Intermediate care services include the following: • Partial Hospital Program (PHP) – PHPs are structured and medically supervised day, evening, or nighttime treatment programs providing individualized treatment plans. A PHP typically runs for five hours a day, five days per week. • Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) – An IOP provides substantial clinical support for patients who are either in transition from a higher level of care or at risk for admission to a higher level of care. An IOP typically runs for three hours per day, three days per week.
Hospital-Association Committee (a) There shall be a Hospital-Union Committee comprised of representatives of the Hospital, one of whom shall be the Chief Nursing Officer or designate and of the Union, one of whom shall be the Bargaining Unit President or designate. The number of representatives is set out in the Appendix of Local Provisions and the membership of the Committee may be expanded by mutual agreement.
(b) The Committee shall meet every two (2) months unless otherwise agreed and as required under Article 8.01 (a) (iv). The duties of chair and secretary shall alternate between the parties. Where possible, agenda items will be exchanged in writing at least five (5) calendar days prior to the meeting. A record shall be maintained of matters referred to the Committee and the recommended disposition, if any, unless agreed to the contrary. Copies of the record shall be provided to Committee members.
(c) The purpose of the Committee includes:
i) promoting and providing effective and meaningful communication of information and ideas, including but not limited to workload measurement tools and the promotion of best practices. Such communication may include discussion of nursing workload measurement and patient acuity systems. The Hospital will provide, upon request, information on workload measurement systems applicable to nursing currently used by the Hospital, and evaluations completed by the Hospital of such systems.
ii) reviewing professional responsibility complaints with a view to identifying trends and sharing organizational successes and solutions, making joint recommendations on matters of concern including the quality and quantity of nursing care and discussing the development and implementation of quality initiatives;
iii) making joint recommendations to the Chief Nursing Officer on matters of concern regarding recurring workload issues including the development of staffing guidelines, the use of agency nurses and use of overtime;
iv) dealing with complaints referred to it in accordance with the provisions of Article 8, Professional Responsibility;
v) discussing and reviewing matters relating to orientation and in- service programs;
vi) promote the creation of full-time positions for nurses, and discuss the effect of such changes on the employment status of the nurses. This may include the impact, if any, on part-time and full-time, job sharing and retention and recruitment.
(d) The Hospital agrees to pay for time spent during regular working hours for representatives of the Union attending at such meetings.
(e) Where a Committee representative designated by the Union attends Committee meetings outside of her or his regularly scheduled hours, she or he will be paid for all time spent in attendance at such meetings at her or his regular straight time hourly rate of pay. Such payment shall be limited to two (2) Committee representatives per meeting.
Professional Development Fund Article 20
Consulting Teachers 14.3.1 A Consulting Teacher provides assistance to a Participating Teacher pursuant to the PAR program. The qualifications for the Consulting Teacher shall be set forth in the Rules and Procedures, with the minimum qualifications:
(a) Must be a permanent, credentialed, bargaining unit member.
(b) Must have successfully taught in the Murrieta Valley Unified School District or three of the last five years, spending at least fifty percent of a full-time position providing instruction to students.
(c) With Association Representative Council approval, the minimum number of years in Article 13.3.1.b may be changed from three to two. Request must be in writing.
(x) Xxxxx demonstrate exemplary teaching abilities, as indicated by effective communication skills, extensive knowledge and mastery of subject matter, and mastery of a range of teaching strategies necessary to meet the needs of pupils in different contexts.
14.3.2 Each applicant for the position of Consulting Teacher shall be required to submit
a) From a site principal or other school district administrator and,
b) From an Association member.
14.3.3 Consulting Teachers shall be selected and submitted for approval to the Governing Board by five (5) affirmative votes of the Joint Committee following classroom observations by the committee members.
14.3.4 A Consulting Teacher shall be provided necessary release time as approved by the Joint Committee.
14.3.5 A Consulting Teacher who has been selected to fill an administrative position within the District may not continue to serve as a Consulting Teacher.
14.3.6 The Joint Committee will monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the Consulting Teachers and make decisions regarding their continuation in the program. The Joint Committee may remove a Consulting Teacher from the position at any time because of the specific needs of the PAR Program, unsatisfactory performance of the Consulting Teacher, or for other reasons which serve the PAR Program's best interest. Prior to the effective date of such removal, the Joint Committee will meet with the Consulting Teacher.
14.3.7 Consulting Teachers shall assist Participating Teachers by demonstrating, observing, coaching, conferencing, in-servicing, referring, or by any other activities which, in their professional judgement, will assist the Participating Teacher.
14.3.8 The Consulting Teacher shall meet with the Referred Participating Teacher to discuss the PAR program, establish mutually agreed upon performance goals, develop the improvement plan, and develop a process for determining successful completion of the plan. The Consulting Teacher shall conduct multiple observations of the Referred Participating Teacher's performance with students, and shall meet with the Participating Teacher to review and discuss observations.
14.3.9 The Referred Participating Teacher shall be entitled to review all reports generated by the Consulting Teacher prior to their submission to the Joint Committee and to have affixed thereto his/her comments. To effectuate this right, the Consulting Teacher shall provide the Participating Teacher being reviewed with copies of such reports at least ten (10) working days prior to any such meeting.
14.3.10 The Consulting Teacher shall monitor the progress of the Referred Participating Teacher and provide periodic written reports to the Referred Participating Teacher for discussion and review, prior to sending periodic written reports to the Joint Committee.
14.3.11 The Consulting Teacher shall provide assistance, not to exceed one school year, to the Referred Teacher until he/she concludes that the teaching performance of the Referred Teacher is satisfactory, or that further assistance will not be productive. The Joint Committee may offer assistance beyond the one-year period. A copy of the Consulting Teacher's Final Report shall be submitted to and discussed with the Referred Participating Teacher to receive his/her input before it is submitted to the Joint Committee. The Referred Participating Teacher shall sign the report to indicate that he/she received a copy. The Referred Participating Teacher shall have the right to submit a written response that shall be attached to the Consulting Teacher's report, within ten (10) working days. The Referred Participating Teacher shall also have the right to request and meet with the Joint Committee to discuss the Consulting Teacher's report accompanied by an Association representative.
14.3.12 The results of the Referred Participating Teacher's participation in the PAR program shall be made available for placement in his/her personnel file, and may be used in the evaluation of the Referred Participating Teacher.
14.3.13 Upon the completion of the contracted term of service as a Consulting Teacher, if the Consulting Teacher were released from regular classroom duties, he/she shall be returned
14.3.14 The District shall defend and hold harmless individual members of the Joint Committee and Consulting Teachers from any lawsuit or claim arising out of the performance of their duties under this Program. The Association retains the right to participate in the litigation.
14.3.15 Consulting Teachers, Support Providers, and teacher members of the Joint Committee shall not be considered management or supervisory employees as defined in the Educational Employment Relations Act, and shall retain their status as bargaining unit members.
Training Program It is agreed that there shall be an Apprenticeship Training Program, the provisions of which are set forth in Exhibit "D", which is attached hereto and forms part of this Agreement.
Stewardship The efficient and effective management of the public funds that have been entrusted to the FHWA.
Training Committee The parties to this Agreement may form a Training Committee. The Training Committee will be constituted by equal numbers of Employer nominees and ETU employee representatives and have a charter which clearly states its role and responsibilities. It shall monitor the clauses of this Agreement which relate to training and ensure all employees have equal access to training.
Extended Health Plan An employee who makes an election under this provision must enrol in each and every of the benefit plans and shall not be entitled to except any of them.
