Transcription
CONTRACTbetweenWESTON BOARD OF EDUCATIONandWESTON TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATIONJuly 1, 2020 – June 30, 2023October 18, 20198074162v2
TABLE OF CONTENTSArticle IArticle IIArticle IIIArticle IVArticle VArticle VIArticle VIIArticle VIIIArticle IXArticle XArticle XIArticle XIIArticle XIIIArticle XIVArticle XVArticle XVIArticle XVIIArticle XVIIIArticle XIXArticle XXArticle XXIArticle XXIIArticle XXIIIArticle XXIVArticle XXVArticle XXVIArticle XXVIIArticle XXVIIIArticle XXIXArticle XXXArticle XXXIArticle XXXIIArticle XXXIIIArticle XXXIVArticle XXXVArticle XXXVIArticle XXXVIIArticle XXXVIIIArticle XXXIXPAGERecognition . 1Term of Agreement . 1Finality of Agreement . 1Grievance Procedures . 1No Strike Clause. 4Teaching Assignments . 4Teacher Personnel Files. 6Reduction in Force . 6Duty Free Lunch. 8Substitutes . 8Degree Definitions and Placement on the Salary Schedule . 8Staff Salaries . 10Insurance . 10Pay For Co-Curricular Assignments . 14Transportation For Activities . 14Pay For Projects . 14Extra Pay For Extra Duties/Responsibilities . 15Travel . 15Dues Deduction . 16Payroll Deductions . 16Personal Day/Leave Without Pay. 17Religious Holidays . 17Emergency and Childrearing Leave . 17Sick Leave . 18Class Size/Special Education Case Loads . 21Facilities . 22Shared Teacher Responsibilities . 22Overnight Field Trips . 23Work Hours/Work Year . 23Tuition Reimbursement . 25Publication of Contract. 26Notice Of Intent To Return . 26Early Retirement Incentive Plan. 26Fractional Assignments . 27Compensation for Additional Professional Responsibilities . 27Curriculum Instructional Leaders . 28Requirements for Physical Education Teachers . 30Release Time for WTA President . 31New Teacher Orientation . 31APPENDICESSCHEDULE ACo-curricular Assignments . 33SCHEDULE B-12020-2021 . 39SCHEDULE B-22021-2022 . 40SCHEDULE B-32022-2023 . 41SCHEDULE CMedical Benefits . 42SCHEDULE DCo-curricular Assignment Agreement . 44MEMORANDA OF UNDERSTANDING (2) . 45EXHIBIT A . 45EXHIBIT B . 46SIDE LETTER. 47SIDE LETTER. 48
ARTICLE IRECOGNITIONA.The Weston Board of Education (hereinafter referred to as the Board) hereby recognizes theWeston Teachers Association (hereinafter referred to as the Association) as the sole andexclusive bargaining representative as provided in the Connecticut General Statutes for allcertified teachers employed by the Board in positions requiring state certification, and allteachers holding Durational Shortage Area Permits (DSAPs). However, all administratorsincluding but not limited to Housemasters, Principals, Assistant Principals, theSuperintendent of Schools, the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction, theDirector of Human Resources, the Director of Finance and Operations, the Director of PupilPersonnel, the Assistant Director of Pupil Personnel and the Athletic Director, substitutes andany other persons excluded by the Connecticut General Statutes are excluded. TheAssociation agrees that except as otherwise specifically provided in this Agreement, theBoard reserves to itself all the rights and responsibilities for managing and operating theschools and directing the staff as provided by the Connecticut General Statutes.B.The term “Board of Education” or “Board”, as used herein, shall mean the Board or itsdesignee. The term “Superintendent of Schools” or “Superintendent”, as used in thisAgreement, shall mean the Superintendent or his or her designee.ARTICLE IITERM OF AGREEMENTThis Agreement shall become effective in accordance with the Connecticut General Statutes and theCharter of the Town of Weston on July 1, 2020. Thereafter except as provided herein the terms andconditions of this Agreement, including the structure of the salary schedule and increments shallremain in full force and effect through June 30, 2023.ARTICLE IIIFINALITY OF AGREEMENTPursuant to § 10-153d of the Connecticut General Statutes, the parties have met and have arrived atthis Agreement. Except as otherwise provided herein, during the course of this Agreement, anyreopening, negotiations, change or alteration shall not be made unless mutually agreed to andexecuted in writing by both parties.ARTICLE IVGRIEVANCE PROCEDURESA.Purpose. The parties hereto recognize that, in the normal course of human interaction, therealways will be some degree of tension, misunderstanding and even disagreement and/orfailure to honor implicit or explicit obligations. It is further recognized that disputes, if leftunattended, escalate more often than they disappear. It is the intention of the parties hereto,therefore, to provide an orderly procedure to air concerns and resolve disputes in a timely,1
thorough and even-handed fashion. This dictates resolution to the extent possible by theparties directly involved rather than those more removed from the problem immediately athand.B."Grievance" shall mean a claim by a teacher or group of teachers that there has been aviolation of any of the terms of this Agreement.C.Grievance Procedure. This procedure is designed to deal with grievances defined in SectionB. It is expressly understood that if a written grievance is not filed within thirty (30) daysafter the teacher knew, or could have reasonably been expected to know, of an act or conditionupon which the grievance is based, then further steps under this grievance procedure shall beterminated.The following steps are involved:Step 1Principal. If a teacher feels that he/she may have a grievance, he/she shalldiscuss the matter with the Principal or other appropriate administrator in aneffort to resolve the problem. If the matter is not settled in this informalprocedure, the teacher may file a written grievance. The written grievanceshall state the facts of the case, the terms or terms of this Agreement allegedlyviolated, and the remedy requested. The Principal shall, within five (5) daysof said filing, give a written response to the grievant, with a copy to theAssociation.Step 2Superintendenta.If the grievant is not satisfied with the disposition in Step 1, he/she may file awritten grievance with the Superintendent of Schools within five (5) days afterthe decision.b. The Superintendent shall, within ten (10) days after receipt of the formalwritten grievance, meet with the grievant to understand the problem and thesuggested solution, as well as the response to Step 1. The Superintendentshall, within ten (10) days after the hearing, render his/her decision and thereasons therefore in writing to the grievant, with a copy to the Association.Step 3The Board of Educationa.If the grievant is not satisfied with the disposition at Step 2, he/she may, withinfive (5) days after the decision, file a grievance with the Board of Education.b. The Board of Education, or a committee thereof, shall, within twenty (20)days of receipt of the grievance, meet with the grievant for the purpose ofresolving the grievance.c. The Board shall, within ten (10) days after such meeting, render its decisionand its reasons therefore in writing to the grievant, with a copy to the Presidentof the Association.2
Step 4Arbitrationa. If the grievant is not satisfied with the disposition of his or her grievance atStep 3, he/she may, within five (5) days after the decision, request in writingto the Association that the grievance be submitted to arbitration.b. The Association may, within ten (10) days after receipt of such request, submitthe grievance to arbitration by so notifying the Board in writing and filing arequest for arbitration with the American Arbitration Association. Suchsubmission shall set forth the facts of the grievance, the provision orprovisions of this Agreement allegedly violated, and the remedy requested.The American Arbitration Association shall act as the administrator of theproceedings but shall be limited to interpreting the terms and conditions of thisAgreement.c. The arbiter selected shall confer promptly with representatives of the Boardand the Association. He/she will review the record of prior hearings, and shallhold such further hearings as he/she deems appropriate.d. The arbiter shall be bound by the rules of the American ArbitrationAssociation and the specific terms of this Agreement, and he/she shall haveno authority to add to, subtract from, or in any way modify its terms. Thedecision of the arbiter shall be final and binding on all parties and shall be theexclusive remedy for breach of this Agreement, except that the parties do notwaive their legal right to appeal the arbiter’s award pertaining to suchgrievance as permitted by law.e. The cost for the services of the arbiter shall be borne equally by the Board andthe Association.D.E.Right of Teachers to Representation1.Any teacher may be represented at any level of the grievance procedure by a personof his or her choosing, except that this person may not be a representative or officerof any teacher organization other than the Association. When a teacher is notrepresented by the Association, the Association shall be notified and have the right tobe present and state its views at all stages of the grievance procedure.2.No reprisals of any kind will be taken by either party or by any member of theadministration against any participant in the grievance procedure by reason of suchparticipation.Miscellaneous1.All documents, communications and records dealing with the processing of agrievance shall be confidential and shall be filed separately from the personnel filesof the grievant.3
2.Forms for the filing and processing of grievances and other necessary documents shallbe prepared jointly by the Association and by the Superintendent and made availablethrough the Association so as to facilitate operation of the grievance procedure.3.If a grievance occurs as a result of an action of other than the teacher’s immediatesupervisor or affects a group or class of teachers, the grievance may be processedimmediately at the level at which the grievance is alleged to have occurred within thetimelines specified in the first paragraph of Section C, above.4.Either party may request, at its expense, that a full and accurate record of theproceedings at any point of the grievance procedure be kept. Should said record berequested by the other party, the cost of producing said record shall be borne equally.5.Should the appropriate administrator or the Board of Education fail to act within thetime limit set forth in this grievance procedure, the grievant may process the grievanceto the next higher step within five (5) days after the expiration of the aforementionedtime limit.6.During the school year “days” shall mean days when school is in session. During thesummer recess, “days” shall mean weekdays, excluding legal holidays.7.The time limits set forth in this procedure may be extended by mutual agreement.ARTICLE VNO STRIKE CLAUSEA.During the term of this Agreement, the Association agrees not to authorize or becomeinvolved in any withdrawal of services during the workday. Violation of this Section shall beconsidered just cause for disciplinary action against those involved, subject to the grievanceprocedures. This provision shall apply to the co-curricular responsibilities listed in ScheduleA, only if the teacher has signed an agreement to carry out and be paid for said responsibilities.B.This provision shall not apply to voluntary services.ARTICLE VITEACHING ASSIGNMENTSThe parties hereto recognize that teachers teach best when they are assigned to schools, classes andcourses for which they are: a) qualified, b) prepared, and c) interested. The parties further recognize,however, that a variety of factors, including enrollment, student course choice, schedule conflicts, theinterests of the school system, and the preferences/rights of other teachers may mitigate againsthonoring a teacher’s first preference in teaching assignment.4
Recognizing this inherent conflict, the following sections describe how teaching assignments shallbe made: (a) prior to the beginning of the school year, and (b) during the school year. A final sectiondescribes how vacancies not necessitating a change in teaching assignment shall be filled.A.B.C.Initial Teaching Assignments. Teachers are hired by the Board of Education to fill specificvacancies based on the needs of the school system, their qualifications and personal interests.During the course of one’s career, however, it may be necessary and/or desirable to changeteaching assignments to meet the needs of the teacher and/or the Board. To provide adequateand timely input into this process, the following steps shall be employed:1.Prior to April 1, teachers who wish a change in assignments for the next school yearshall so notify the Superintendent on forms which shall be available in each schooloffice.2.When reasonably possible, prior to June 1, the Superintendent shall advise teacherswishing a change in assignment of the probable disposition of their request.3.Prior to the end of the school year, all teachers shall be advised of their expectedteaching assignments and programs for the forthcoming school year. In the event ofa change in circumstances or conditions from the end of the school year up to thebeginning of the next school year, assignments may be changed only as requiredthereby with prompt notice in writing to both the teacher and the Association. Theaffected teacher(s) may request a meeting with the Superintendent (or his/herdesignee) to understand the reasons for the change and explore alternatives. Changesin assignment shall be capable of reasoned substantiation.Changes in Assignment During the Year. Reasonable effort will be made to avoid changesin assignment during the school year. If a Principal, Director of Pupil Services or theSuperintendent determines that a change is necessary, for whatever reason, the followingguidelines shall apply:1.If a change within or between schools becomes necessary it shall be made only afterthe Principal, the Director of Pupil Services or the Superintendent or his designee hasmet with the parties involved, with reasonable notice, to discuss the reasons for theintended change. Emergencies shall be an exception to this guideline.2.It is recognized that the responsibility and authority for making teaching assignmentsrest with the Administration. Changes in assignments shall be capable of reasonedsubstantiation.Vacancies. A vacancy is defined as an opening that results from the termination of a teacherfor whatever reason (e.g., resignation, discharge, death, disability, leave of absence,promotion or the creation of a new position or as the last position opened as a result of atransfer or series of transfers). The following guidelines shall be employed in fillingvacancies.1.Notices of all vacancies shall be posted for a period of not less than five (5) schooldays for vacancies which occur during the school year. Such school year postings5
shall simultaneously be posted on the District website (in a dated listing in a sectionfor certified staff openings) and sent to all teachers by email. Notice of vacancieswhich occur while school is in recess shall simultaneously be posted on the Districtwebsite and shall be sent to all teachers by email. Summer and school recess vacanciesshall not be filled until at least ten (10) days after such notification has been mailedand posted simultaneously on the District website.2.Vacancies shall be filled by the best qualified candidate so long as doing so would beconsistent with the best interests of the school system. In the event that two or morecandidates have equally strong qualifications, preference shall be given to currentlyemployed staff. In the event that two or more currently employed staff members haveequally strong qualifications, years of teaching service within the District shall be thedeciding factor.3.It is expressly understood that the Superintendent and/or the Principal and/or theAssistant Superintendent of Pupil Personnel Services shall specify the requiredposition qualifications and shall judge the candidate qualifications. Candidates notaccepted for a vacancy may request information as to where their qualifications fellshort of the standard and/or of those of the selected candidate.4.The filling of vacancies shall be capable of reasoned substantiation.ARTICLE VIITEACHER PERSONNEL FILESA.No denial of increment, disciplinary action, or reprimand shall be without just cause. In theevent a grievance is pursued on these matters, all information forming the basis for anydisciplinary action shall be made available to the teacher or the Association. Notwithstandingany provision of this Agreement to the contrary, the procedure set forth in §10-151 of theConnecticut General Statutes shall be the exclusive procedure for matters involving teachernon-renewal or termination.B.Whenever any material is placed in any of a teacher’s personnel files, a copy will be sent tothe teacher.ARTICLE VIIIREDUCTION IN FORCEReduction in force shall be made as follows:A.Tenured staff members shall be retained over non-tenured staff provided they areappropriately certified and qualified. Certified staff members shall be retained over teachersholding DSAPs.6
B.If decisions to terminate must be made between tenured staff members, the reductions in forcegroup shall encompass either K-8 or 7-12. The groups shall be determined by certification.The reduction shall be based on seniority and qualification.C.For staff hired after June 30, 1984, and before July 1, 1994, seniority shall be based on fulltime certified teaching experience in Weston, plus credit given at the time of initialemployment for experience in the discipline that the teacher was hired to fill. The credit givenshall be one (1) year for each year teaching in the discipline.D.For purposes of this Article, “qualification” and “qualified” mean that the teacher has taughtin the subject matter or at the grade level (K-6) within the last three (3) years including thecurrent year, and that the teacher may be required to undertake up to nine (9) graduate credits,approved by the Superintendent and complete this requirement within eighteen (18) monthsof the appointment. If the teacher does meet the above stated teaching requirements and ifgraduate study is required, the Board shall pay tuition costs. If the teacher does not meet theabove stated teaching experience requirement, then the teacher shall be required to undertakeup to nine (9) graduate credits, approved by the Superintendent, complete this requirementwithin eighteen (18) months of the appointment.E.Within the category of non-tenured teachers, the Board, acting through the Superintendent,shall determine which contracts will be terminated as a result of a reduction in force.F.Nothing herein shall require the promotion or assignment of a teacher to a position of higherrank, authority, teaching time or compensation, even though the teacher whose contract is tobe terminated or who is to be recalled is qualified and/or certified for the promotion orassignment.G.For staff hired to commence work on or after July 1, 1994, the following rules shall applywith respect to a reduction in force, notwithstanding the foregoing provisions:H.1.Seniority shall be based only on full-time teaching experience in Weston foremployees hired before July 1, 1984 or on or after July 1, 1994.2.Less than full-time experience shall be calculated on a prorata basis by multiplyingthe number of the teacher’s school months in the Weston school system by theteacher’s full-time teaching equivalent designation.Recall1.Any tenured teacher whose employment is severed as a result of the elimination of ateaching position shall be placed on a recall list for a period of two years, and theteacher shall provide the Board with an email address and a cell phone number. Theteacher shall notify the Board if either the email address or the cell phone number mustbe updated.7
2.Within the category of tenured teachers, the Board shall first recall those teachers withthe most seniority provided they are qualified and certified as defined by theConnecticut State Department of Education in the area in which an opening occurs.3.A non-tenured teacher shall have no recall rights under this Article.4.In the event that a teacher is recalled the provisions of paragraph D shall apply.5.Recall shall be effected as follows. The Board shall send a notice of vacancy s to theemail address filed by the teacher with the Board of Education and shall follow upwith a cell phone call. A teacher shall respond to such notice within fourteen (14)days of its receipt and shall report to work on the date the position becomes available.A teacher who fails to fill a position with the same or a greater number of full-timeteaching equivalents than his/her previous position, or who fails to respond to thenotice sent by the Board as set forth above shall forfeit recall rights.ARTICLE IXDUTY FREE LUNCHEvery teacher shall have a thirty (30) consecutive minute duty-free lunch period each day during theschool’s lunch serving time.ARTICLE XSUBSTITUTESA.If a substitute teacher is not available and the administration requests a teacher to substitutefor a colleague, a stipend of 35.48 for a class period as per the school schedule, pro rata, willbe paid to that teacher. Effective July 1, 2021, the stipend will be increased to 35.83.Effective July 1, 2022, the stipend will be increased to 36.19. Except in the case ofemergencies, elementary teachers will not be required but may be requested to providesubstitute coverage.B.Reasonable efforts will be made to provide qualified substitutes for elementary teachers ofspecial subjects who must be absent for a half-day or longer.ARTICLE XIDEGREE DEFINITIONS ANDPLACEMENT ON THE SALARY SCHEDULEA.Increment is not automatic. The Board reserves the right to withhold this annual incrementif performance does not justify an increase.B.Teachers who have not attained tenure in Weston under the Connecticut General Statutes shallbe considered probationary.8
C.Teachers must have a master’s degree to be placed on the MA level.D.Any course work taken for credit must have prior approval from the Superintendent,which will be based on the following guidelines:1. Approved courses and degree programs must be from an accredited college or universityor those approved in advance by the Superintendent.2. Unless otherwise approved by the Superintendent per subsection D (7) below, coursesand/or degree programs submitted for approval for salary reclassification must be in aplanned program consisting of a series of connected courses approved by an advisor inthe field of education and/or related to the teacher’s assignment.3. Unless otherwise approved by the Superintendent per subsection D (7) below, approvedprograms must consist of courses credited from a single university either as course creditearned at that university or courses accepted on a transfer basis for credit by the universityawarding the degree.4. Courses must be substantive and the content and quality appropriate for advanced anddoctoral level courses.5. Classes for approved courses or programs must meet on a periodic basis in an announcedlocation for lecture, discussion, or seminar to allow for interaction and intellectualexchanges with course instructor(s) and colleagues. Exception to the aforementioned willbe given for on-line courses which are offered by Connecticut state universities (i.e.University of Connecticut or State University system) or which are preapproved by theSuperintendent.6. Courses or programs approved for reclassification must have a planned procedure forperiodic evaluation of the student’s work through written assignments, written or oralexaminations and/or project representative of the course content.7. In unique circumstances, the Superintendent has discretion on a case-by-case basis toapprove individual courses for credit that do not meet the above criteria if such coursesare directly related to the teacher’s assignment.E.To be placed on the MA 30 level, the teacher must have a master’s degree and an additionalthirty (30) credits approved by the Superintendent or his/her designee in advance, a secondmaster’s degree, a certificate of advanced study, or a master’s degree which requires sixty(60) credits. After consultation with the President of the Association, and the awardinguniversity, the Superintendent may, in his/her discretion, award credit for work completed inthe pursuit of a doctoral degree (Ph.D., Ed.D.). The number of credits awarded for such workwill be determined by the Superintendent in his/her discretion.F.To be placed on the MA 60 level, the teacher must have a master’s degree and an additionalsixty (60) credits approved by the Superintendent or his/her designee in advance, or a master’sdegree which requires sixty (60) credits and an additional thirty (30) credits. Afterconsultation with the President of the Association, and the awarding university, theSuperintendent may, in his/her discretion, award credit for work completed in the pursuit ofa doctoral degree (Ph.D., Ed.D.). The number of credits awarded for such work will bedetermined by the Superintendent in his/her discretion.9
G.To receive the doctoral stipend, the teacher must have earned a doctoral degree (Ph.D., Ed.D.)from an accredited university in a field of study acceptable to the Superintendent, suchacceptance not to be un
Step 3 The Board of Education . a. If the grievant is not satisfied with the disposition at Step 2, he/she may, within five (5) days after the decision, file a grievance with the Board of Education. b. The Board of Education, or a committee thereof, shall, within twenty (20) days of receipt of the grievance, meet with the grievant for the .
