An administrator, who is employed by the Educational Service Center and is seeking to be employed by a conversion or new start-up community school sponsored by or located within the Center, shall be provided with a leave of absence from the Center of up to three (3) years for service in the community school.

To maintain eligibility for this leave, the administrator must be continuously employed by the community school during the leave of absence.

An administrator, who is employed by the Center and will be employed by a conversion or new start-up community school that is not sponsored by or located within the Center, shall not be provided with a leave of absence for service in the community school.

During the leave of absence, an administrator shall remain eligible for the insurance benefits that are provided to regularly employed staff members, as well as STRS benefits, provided such staff member pays the entire cost associated with such benefits. The right to benefits does not apply if a collective bargaining agreement that is applicable to staff members of a conversion community school provides otherwise.

A staff member shall not be permitted to accrue personal leave or vacation leave for use as an employee of the Center while s/he is on a leave of absence.

A staff member who is employed by a conversion community school shall be permitted to use any and all sick leave which was accrued during the staff member’s employment with the Center prior to his/her leave of absence for sick leave in accordance with state law. If a staff member uses his/her accrued sick leave while working with the conversion community school under this Policy, the costs of the staff member’s salary paid by the community school shall be reported to the State Department of Education. The cost of employing a substitute while the staff member is on sick leave shall be paid by the community school.

When the leave of absence period has expired or at such time when the administrator has been discharged from his/her employment with the community school, the administrator shall be entitled to return to employment with the Center. Upon the administrator’s return to employment, any and all applicable seniority shall be calculated to include all employment by the:

The staff member shall also be restored to his/her previous position and salary or to a similar position and salary, provided that the staff member possesses valid certification/licensure.

The right to return to employment in the Center does not apply to those staff members whose employment with the community school was terminated for a reason for which the Board would have sought to terminate the administrator in accordance with state law; in which event the Board may proceed to terminate the staff member’s employment in accordance with the procedures set forth in state law.

If the Center reduces the number of teachers it employs as a result of the return of an administrator(s), the Center shall make the necessary reductions in accordance with the procedures set forth in state law or the Board’s Administrative Suspension Policy.

The Center is not liable for any action of a staff member while s/he is on a leave of absence and employed by a community school.

R.C. 3314.10, 3319.16, 3319.17
R.C. Chapter 3307

Adopted 2/16/06