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PROFESSIONAL AGREEMENT |
Between The Arlington Heights School District 25 Board of Education And The Arlington Teachers’ Association |
August 24, 2006– August 15, 2010 |
| I - PREAMBLE |
| The Arlington Heights Public Schools, District 25 Board of Education, and the Arlington Teachers' Association, recognizing that they have a common interest and responsibility to provide the highest quality education for the children of the community, declares their mutual intent to cooperatively work toward the attainment of this common goal. |
| It is toward this end that the Board and the Association
enter into the following agreements. |
EXCERPTS FROM THE PROFESSIONAL AGREEMENT |
| Article | Article |
I. PREAMBLE |
|
| The Arlington Heights Public Schools, District 25 Board of Education, and the Arlington Teachers' Association, recognizing that they have a common interest and responsibility to provide the highest quality education for the children of the community, declares their mutual intent to cooperatively work toward the attainment of this common goal. |
II. RECOGNITION AND DEFINITIONS |
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| D. The parties agree that the provisions of this agreement shall not be applied in a manner, which is arbitrary, capricious, nor discriminatory, and both parties agree to active efforts to implement the negotiation agreement in good faith. |
| F. The Board and the Association agree that matters of salaries, fringe benefits, grievance procedures, negotiating procedures, and other matters by mutual agreement shall be negotiable. It is further agreed that negotiations shall begin on or before May 1. |
III. IMPASSE PROCEDURE |
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| A. If agreement is not reached on all items by June 15th after the commencement of negotiations, either party may declare to the other in writing that an impasse exists and call for a mediator. A written request for mediation by one party shall be considered a joint request for mediation, and the other party shall join in the request. |
IV. RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES |
| I. The Association shall be furnished upon request all regularly and routinely prepared information concerning financial conditions of the school district, including the annual financial statement and tentative and adopted budgets. In addition, the Board and the Administration will grant reasonable requests for other readily available and pertinent public information, which is relevant to negotiations. |
| K. The Association and the Board agree that the views of the Association or the Board and/or their members on matters relating to supervisor/teacher or Board/teacher relations or matters under negotiation shall not be discussed in the presence of students. |
V. CITIZENSHIP |
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| A. Teachers are guaranteed their constitutional rights to be active politically as private citizens. Political rights include registering and voting, participating in party organizations, discussing political issues publicly, campaigning for candidates, contributing to campaigns of candidates, lobbying, organizing political action groups, running for and serving in public offices, and other actions which are not incompatible with their current employment. |
VI. TEACHER PROTECTION |
| A. Any case of assault upon the teacher in pursuit of his/her duties shall be promptly reported to the Board or its designees. The Board shall provide legal counsel to the teacher to advise the teacher of his/her rights and obligations with respect to such assault. |
VII. PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS |
| A. The Board and Association agree that fully qualified teachers are a vital aspect of an effective educational program. They agree to work cooperatively toward keeping and securing fully certificated well-trained professionals in every position. |
| B. The Board, while reserving the right to employ and make assignments at its discretion recognizes the importance of not making unreasonable demands in regard to teaching assignments outside of areas of teachers' professional and personal competence or training. |
VIII. TEACHING HOURS AND ASSIGNMENTS |
| A. The teacher's scheduled day shall be in accordance with the policies of the Board of Education. It is agreed that, unless modified by the Board, such schedules are in substance as set forth below: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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*Classroom instruction/supervision should
begin 60 minutes following the start of the lunch hour for students. |
| B. On days preceding holidays and vacations teachers may leave the building as soon as children have been dismissed and all necessary and/or routine tasks have been completed. |
IX. TEACHING CONDITIONS & STAFF FACILITIES |
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| A. The Board and the Association agree that reasonable class size can be an important part of an effective instructional program. The Board and the Association recognize that the welfare of students shall be a matter of primary interest and agree to work cooperatively to seek the revenue and the personnel necessary for effective pupil-teacher ratios, while at the same time recognizing the dilemmas presented by limited budgets and limited physical facilities. |
| F. A teacher shall not be required to work under unsafe or hazardous conditions or to perform tasks, which may be reasonably assumed to endanger health and safety. |
X. VACANCIES, TRANSFERS, PROMOTIONS, REDUCTIONS |
| B. Involuntary Transfers or Reassignments: Employees who are transferred to another building or reassigned within the same building must be informed by the responsible administrator or the Assistant Superintendent for Personnel as to the reason(s) for such a transfer or reassignment. If the transfer or reassignment of an employee is objectionable to the employee, the employee may voice his or her concern in writing to the Assistant Superintendent for Personnel. |
| D. The Board of Education will receive for action recommendations of names of staff members to be honorably dismissed and such persons as dismissed will receive a registered letter of notification at least forty-five (45) days before the end of the school year. The final decision to honorably dismiss any employee shall rest solely with the Board of Education. |
| XI.
TEACHER EVALUATION |
| A. It is recognized by both parties that "the purpose of teacher evaluation in District 25 is to promote professional growth in a supportive environment for teachers in all stages of development in order to ensure quality education".1 Furthermore, both parties agree that a procedure for evaluating and assisting the progress and success of teachers is an integral part of any effective educational program. | ||||||||||||
| C. In order for any procedure of teacher evaluation to be successful, it should be understood by all parties concerned. It is recognized that all parties are mutually responsible for acquiring the fullest possible understanding of the entire process. Any certified administrator involved in the evaluation of teachers will be responsible for acquainting the teachers under his/her supervision with the procedures and instruments used in evaluating teacher performance. Such familiarization with the process shall occur early in the school year and shall be ongoing as needed. The teacher is also responsible for becoming familiar with and maintaining an understanding of the evaluation procedure and the evaluation alternative he/she proposes. | ||||||||||||
| E. Teacher use of the Self-Reflection Continuum and the Goal Setting processes are designed to encourage professional growth and enhance instructional effectiveness and collaboration. Teachers are encouraged to establish goals that stretch their abilities, knowledge, and/or experiences without fear that their lack of progress toward a particularly difficult goal may result in a negative Summative Evaluation. | ||||||||||||
| N. Should the teacher believe his/her Administrative Expectation
Form and/or his/her Summative Evaluation to be incomplete, inaccurate, and/or
unjust, the teacher may submit objections in writing to the Adminstrator
in charge of Personnel. A copy of the written objection(s) will be attached
to the Summative Evaluation that has been placed in the teacher's district
personnel file. |
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| XII.
STUDENT DISCIPLINE |
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| A1. A teacher may temporarily exclude a student from a class period when in the opinion of the teacher the grossness of any offense, the persistence of the behavior, or the disruptive effect of any violation makes the continued presence of the student in the classroom intolerable. |
| XIII.
LEAVE |
| A. Each full-time teacher shall be entitled to a total of fifteen (15) sick leave days with full pay per school year. Teachers who are less than full-time but are working at least half-time (.5 FTE) are entitled to sick leave days that are pro-rated based upon their full-time equivalency (FTE). Teachers may use sick leave days for their own personal illness or injury or to care for a member of his/her immediate family as defined by School Code. |
| B. A Sick Leave Bank was established during the 1991-1992 school year. All those individuals continuously employed and eligible for sick leave benefits as of the first day of school in the fall of 1991 are vested members of the Sick Leave Bank. |
| E. The Board shall grant three days per year at full pay that may be used for urgent personal business. Urgent personal business involves situations beyond the ordinary and with real importance or urgency which cannot reasonably be controlled or in which it would be unreasonable to expect matters to be accomplished at time other than school hours. |
| XIV.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & CERTIFICATE RENEWAL |
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| Certificate Renewal B: It is recognized that it is in the best interest of the District and the Association membership to support each other in the recertification process. |
| Professional Development: The District will continue to promote a staff development program that addresses the needs of its staff. |
| Teacher use of the Self-Reflection Continuum and the Goal Setting processes are designed to encourage professional growth, and enhance instructional effectiveness and collaboration. |
| XV.
PROFESSIONAL COMPENSATION & RELATED ISSUES |
| B6. Payroll deductions for Association, IEA, and NEA dues shall be made on an authorization form supplied by the District. In order to seek these deductions a staff member must belong to all three mentioned associations. Deductions will be made in twenty (20) consecutive paychecks. |
| XVI.
PROFESSIONAL RELATIONS |
| A. The Association's Executive Board, or a committee they shall designate, shall meet at regular intervals with the Superintendent of Schools and/or the Superintendent's designee to discuss matters of mutual concern. Every effort shall be made to use such meetings to solve problems prior to submission to the Board of Education or to grievance procedures, and to keep lines of cooperation and communication open and effective. |
C. The District places trust in its employees
and desires to support their actions in such a manner that employees are
freed from unnecessary, or unjustified criticism, complaints or discipline
by supervisory personnel. In the event an employee feels that a supervisor’s
criticism, complaint or discipline is unnecessary or unjustified, he/she
shall first bring his/her concerns to the immediately involved supervisor.
If the issue is not resolved by involvement of the immediate supervisor
and/or at the building level, the employee can refer the concern to the
Superintendent for review and decision. If the above steps do not resolve the employee’s concern, he/she may request a closed meeting of the School Board, provided the purpose of such meeting fits an applicable exception under the Open Meetings Act, for the purpose of review of the Superintendent's decision. Generally all parties involved, including the school administration, shall be asked to attend such a meeting for purposes of presenting additional facts, making further explanations, and clarifying the issues underlying the concern. The employee shall be given reasonable opportunity for explanation, comment and presentation of the facts as he/she sees them. At all levels of the concern resolution process, the employee shall have the right to representation by the Association. No concern under Section XVI.C of this agreement shall be subject to the grievance/arbitration procedure of this Agreement unless it involves a tenured teacher who has been suspended without pay. |
| XVII.
PROFESSIONAL GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE |
| A. PHILOSOPHY: The resolution of grievances promotes professional working conditions, elevates teacher morale, and encourages employee contributions of services and talents for the maximum benefit of the school, the students, and the community. An orderly procedure to resolve grievances facilitates the mutual desire of the Board and the teachers to achieve the objectives set forth below. |
| C. DEFINITIONS: 5. The PR & R Committee (or Professional Rights and Responsibilities) is a committee selected by the President of the Arlington Teachers' Association (hereafter called "ATA") with the advice and consent of the Executive Board of the Association to act upon a Grievance. |
| D. GENERAL PROVISION: 1. A Grievance will be filed promptly in relation to the incident or situation being grieved. Ordinarily, action to remedy a Grievance including the filing of a Grievance will take place within fifteen school days of the knowledge of the incident or pattern of incidents being grieved. |
| D. GENERAL PROVISION: 11. Ten school days prior to the end of the school year, representative(s) of the PR & R Committee and of the Administration shall meet for the purpose of agreeing on a procedure for handling all pending Grievances. The parties shall determine which Grievances will be held in abeyance until the start of the forthcoming school year and which Grievances are of such nature to warrant further processing during the summer based on a mutually agreeable time schedule. |
| XVIII.
TEACHERS' COMPENSATION SCHEDULE |
| View Salary Schedule |
| The Board recognizes the relative status of our compensation package and will make every effort to address the concerns of the professional staff, while still providing the breadth, scope, and quality of programs expected by our community. The board will propose a fair and equitable salary schedule that can be funded within the Board's ability to pay. |
| 2. Dental and Vision Insurance: The cost of single coverage for dental and vision insurance will be paid entirely by the Board of Education. |
| 3. Prescription Drug Insurance: The co-payment for the prescription drug plan offered by the District is subject to annual review by the District 25 Insurance Committee. |
| 4. Life Insurance: a. Full time teachers will be provided term life insurance coverage in the amount of $50,000. |
| XIX.
SUPPLEMENTARY PAY SCHEDULE |
| F. Compensation for all coaching increments shall be paid as soon as possible following the completion of their season on one of the following dates: November 15th, February 15th, April 15th, or June 15th |
| G. Extension of the Work Year - Teachers who are required to work beyond the normal work year as part of their regular assignment shall be compensated at a per diem rate (annual salary divided by the number of days in the school calendar inclusive of paid holidays). |
| I. Special stipends of $100-$500 may be made for district-wide, multiple building activities, or approved building activities. Special stipends shall only be awarded to projects that have been pre-approved through the Department of Instruction. Projects originated by the Department of Instruction at the district level will carry a stipend as offered by the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction. As well, teachers may prepare a proposal to the Department of Instruction. |
| XX.
RETIREMENT ENHANCEMENT PLAN |
| GENERAL CONDITIONS: A. To be eligible
for either of the District’s two Retirement Enhancement Options
(Option 1 or Option 2), the teacher: |
| XXI.
FAIR SHARE |
| A. It is recognized that the negotiations and administration of this Agreement entail expenses, which appropriately are shared by all teachers who are beneficiaries of said Agreement. To this end, if a teacher does not join the Arlington Teachers' Association, such teacher will: 1. Execute an authorization for the deduction of a sum equivalent to the proportionate share of the cost of the collective bargaining process and contract administration ("Fair Share Fee") or 2. Pay directly to the Association a like sum. |
| F. Upon receipt of formal notice of an objection or unfair labor practice charge to the Labor Board, the Association and the Board hereby agree to comply with the Labor Board rules. The Board shall forward the objector's fee or portion of the objector's fees being contested to the Labor Board to be placed in an escrow account pending a decision or mutually agreeable settlement between the Association and the objector(s). |
| XXII.
EMERGENCY DAYS |
| The Board of Education agrees to approve the last two days of each school year covered by this agreement as emergency days should no more than three emergency days be used during a school year prior to that time. In addition, the Board reserves the right to direct the Administration to utilize the remaining three emergency days for staff development. All efforts will be made by the Board to protect the teacher directed day in the spring. Furthermore, the Board recognizes its responsibility to negotiate with the Association prior to implementing any changes in the use of emergency days. |
| XXIII.
MENTORING |
| C. Responsibilities - Mentors shall not be expected to perform supervisory tasks. Building administrators should not ask mentors for information about the new colleague that could be evaluative in nature. However, the mentor and new colleague may request assistance from a building administrator relative to information and/or resources to assist the new colleague. |
| D. Mentor Evaluation - A teacher's Annual Summary Report should not be impacted negatively by their ability or inability to mentor effectively and/or their willingness to participate in the mentoring program. |
| XXIV.
EFFECT OF AGREEMENT |
| A. The terms and conditions set forth in this agreement represent the full and complete understanding and commitment between the parties thereto. Agreements on any and all areas included herein are limited to the specific language approved and ratified by the parties and shall not constitute implicit agreement to further negotiate matters related to any general area or topic involved except as specifically required or as provided by mutual agreement. The terms and conditions may be altered, changed, added to, deleted from, or modified only through the voluntary, mutual consent of the parties in a written amendment executed according to the provisions of this agreement. |
| B. This agreement and any subsequent changes shall be incorporated into the Board policies of School District 25, Arlington Heights, Cook County, Illinois, and shall be a part of the said policies during the duration of this agreement. |
| XXV.
DURATION AND ACCEPTANCE OF AGREEMENT |
| A. This agreement shall be in full force and effect for the school years 2006-2007, 2007-2008, and 2008-2009, 2009-2010 and shall continue in force and effect until August 15, 2010 unless extended by mutual agreement. Reopening of this Agreement on any section shall occur in accordance with Article II-Section F. |
