NON-TEACHING DUTIES The Board and the Association acknowledge that a teacher's primary responsibility is to teach, and that his/her energies should be utilized to this end. It is agreed that teachers will be relieved of non-teaching duties to the extent possible and practical through the use of non-teaching personnel to perform clerical-type tasks and supervise playgrounds and lunchrooms.
TEACHING HOURS AND TEACHING LOAD Section 1 Work Day For the applicable agreement period, the normal work day will be seven and one-quarter (7 ¼) hours including arrival time fifteen (15) minutes before and departure time (15) minutes after the students’ school day. The normal work day will include uninterrupted prep time. The Building Principal, as authorized by the Superintendent, upon request of a teacher or group of teachers, may waive the requirement to remain fifteen (15) minutes after the school day for a specific day or days. It is recognized; however, that the proper performance of their duties may, on occasion, require these persons to work longer than the normal work day, i.e. for conferences, faculty meetings, department meetings, etc. Therefore, “mandatory meetings will occur two times per month and be no longer than 90 minutes in length, inclusive of the additional 15 minutes beyond the scheduled student school day. A schedule of the meetings will be distributed by June 30th of the previous school year, but may be changed at the discretion of the Principal with 48 hours’ notice.” Teachers will also remain at school after the fifteen (15) minutes described above, during one (1) day each calendar week for such periods of time as is necessary to provide students extra help, and/or to meet with parents or guardians, concerning the progress of their children or wards. No teacher shall be required to work more than a normal seven and one- quarter (7 ¼) hour day, including fifteen (15) minutes before and (15) minutes after the students’ school day, which will include uninterrupted prep time; this provision does not apply to other contractually agreed upon time and meetings. Should state law require a longer instructional day, or more days, the teachers shall work the added time and the parties shall immediately commence impact bargaining on the issue. This article does not purport to cover the arrival and departure time of teachers involved in special assignments. Section 2 Other Personnel Personnel other than classroom teachers will work at their assigned tasks for the length of the regular teachers' work day. The exact daily schedule will be worked out on an individual basis between the Administration and the employee with notification to the Association. Instructional Coaches are required to work an additional five (5) days at their per diem rate, beyond the work year for a total of 189 days. These days will be determined prior to the start of the new school year and at the discretion of the Superintendent and the Chief Academic Officer.
Employee Orientation Each and every person working for a contractor, including sub- contractors, will be given an orientation to familiarize them with the site safety program. Unless otherwise specified, each sub-contractor is responsible for the orientation of their workers.
Teaching Load 11-1 The parties recognize that the number of students, the number of preparations, and the amount of planning time are related to student performance. 11-2 CLASS SIZE 11-2-1 The parties recognize that class size is related to economics and that reduction of class size is faced with fiscal constraints. The parties further recognize that it is not feasible at this time to set general numerical limitations upon class size because of physical space available, special programs, special student needs, attendance area variances, differences in scheduling systems, busing, and because of other variable causes affecting class size. Nevertheless, the parties shall make reasonable effort to maintain class size at reasonable, workable, and educationally effective levels in all situations. 11-3 TEACHER LOAD 11-3-1 Teaching load shall be defined as the number of separate class preparations that a teacher has per school day as delineated in the course description guide.
Critical Illness Three (3) days per year, with pay, shall be granted in the case of a critical illness or accident to a member of the employee's immediate family as defined in Section 9.4.2. A statement by the physician verifying the need for the employee to be present with the immediate family member shall be attached to the absence form.
New Employee Orientation The Union will provide each agency personnel director with the names and addresses of up to two (2) authorized Union representatives per agency to receive notice of each formal orientation meeting held by the Department. The notice will be sent as soon as such meetings are scheduled (but not less than ten (10) days in advance) and will include date, time and location. Due to operational exigencies, agencies may schedule an orientation which will provide the Union with less than the requisite ten (10) days' notice; however the Union shall be notified as soon as possible after the scheduling of the orientation and the Union representative shall be released from duty. Agencies shall routinely schedule orientations in a manner that will allow for the ten (10) day advance notice to the Union. During the formal orientation, the Union will be permitted to give a twenty (20) minute presentation which may include an enrollment in supplemental Union benefits. The parties shall encourage employee attendance, although attendance shall not be mandatory if an employee objects to attending the presentation. In the event a formal orientation meeting is not held, or the Union is unable to attend the formal orientation because the designated Union representatives cannot be released under Article 4, the Employer shall allow the Union representative and the employee(s) to meet during duty hours at a mutually agreed upon time and location for twenty (20) minutes Employee participation in these meetings shall be encouraged although an employee shall not be required to attend such a meeting.
Teaching Experience Recognized Years of Experience: Uncredited Experience:
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.
PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES Psychotherapy is not easily described in general statements. It varies depending on the personalities of the psychologist and patient, and the particular problems you hope to address. There are many different methods I may use to deal with those problems. Psychotherapy is not like a medical doctor visit. Instead, it calls for a very active effort on your part. In order for the therapy to be most successful, you will have to work on things we talk about both during our sessions and at home. Psychotherapy can have benefits and risks. Because therapy often involves discussing unpleasant aspects of your life, you may experience uncomfortable feelings like sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, loneliness, and helplessness. When treating insomnia specifically, therapy might cause you to experience increased sleepiness and fatigue, especially in the early phases of treatment. On the other hand, psychotherapy has also been shown to have benefits for people who go through it. Therapy often leads to better relationships, solutions to specific problems, significant reductions in feelings of distress, improved sleep, and less fatigue. But there are no guarantees as to what you will experience. Our first session will involve an evaluation of your needs. By the end of the evaluation, I will be able to offer you some first impressions of what our work will include and a treatment plan to follow, if you decide to continue with me for therapy. You should evaluate this information along with your own opinions about whether you feel comfortable working with me. At the end of the evaluation, I will notify you if I believe that I am not the right therapist for you and if so, I will give you referrals to other practitioners who I believe are better suited to help you. Therapy involves a large commitment of time, money, and energy, so you should be very careful about the therapist you select. If you have questions about my procedures, we should discuss them whenever they arise. If your doubts persist, I will be happy to help you set up a meeting with another mental health professional for a second opinion. Please note that the psychological services I provide are not for emergency situations. For emergencies, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. My fee is $395 for an initial evaluation lasting 90 minutes, and $250 for each subsequent psychotherapy session (either in-person or over the telephone) lasting 45 minutes. I charge this same $250 per 45-minutes rate for other professional services you may need, though I will prorate the cost if I work for periods of less than 45 minutes in increments of 15 minutes, rounded to the nearest 15-minute increment (e.g., 22 minutes of service will be charged for 15 minutes whereas 23 minutes of service will be charged for 30 minutes). Other professional services include telephone conversations or email responses lasting longer than 15 minutes, and the time spent performing any other service you may request of me. If you become involved in legal proceedings that require my participation, you will be expected to pay for any professional time I spend on your legal matter, even if the request comes from another party, at the same $250 per 45-minutes rate. I do not charge for time spent writing reports and progress notes as per the standard routine of my care of you. I also do not charge for any time I may spend collaborating with your other providers. From time to time, I may institute fee increases and these will be discussed and agreed upon ahead of time with a new Treatment Contract. If it has been more than one year since our last appointment, then you will re-initiate services at my current standard fee which may be higher than the fee you were previously paying. In addition, if it has been more than one year since our last appointment, you will be scheduled for another initial evaluation (90 minutes) and charged accordingly, with subsequent 45-minute psychotherapy sessions thereafter. You are responsible for paying your full session fee. I am not in-network with any insurance companies. If you decide to submit claims to your insurance company for reimbursement for any out-of-network benefits you might have, you may do so. However, be aware that the services provided will still be charged to you, not your insurance company, and you are responsible for the full payment. I have no role in deciding what your insurance covers. You are responsible for checking your insurance coverage, deductibles, payment rates, pre-authorization procedures, etc. Missed appointments, late cancellations (i.e., cancellations within 24 hours of service), and telephone session are not typically covered by insurance companies and therefore you will likely be responsible for the full session fee in these instances. If your insurance company doesn’t reimburse you, I am not responsible for refunding you any payment you expected to be reimbursed or otherwise. I will provide you a superbill after each session with the following information that you will need to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement for any out-of-network benefits you might have:
FALSELY ACCUSED EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE When a teacher has been falsely accused of child abuse or sexual misconduct, the Board will assist the teacher by: a. working with the teacher to develop a plan which facilitates a smooth return to the teaching profession; b. providing additional funding if required to the Employee Family Assistance Program to ensure availability of counselling assistance to the employee and the employee‘s family; c. providing, upon request by the employee, available factual information to parents and students; d. providing restitution of lost wages resulting from the suspension of the teacher.
