East Muskingum Local School District
Bylaws & Policies
 

1545 - RE-EMPLOYED TEACHERS PROCEDURES

Establishment of Procedure

The Board of Education wishes to establish procedures whereby a retired teacher may become a candidate for re-employment. The Board acknowledges with appreciation, the loyalty and outstanding efforts of all retiring staff members. Their many contributions to the betterment of the District have established the foundation upon which we build the future.

Board Responsibility

In a manner which guarantees a legacy of continuous improvement for our students, the Board believes that our students should be learning from a faculty that is well versed in a pedagogy that includes not only the tried and true methods but also the most recent research based methods.

Acting in the best interests of the School District, the Board assumes the visionary responsibility of seeking ways in which to renew its financial and human resources. The periodic infusion of staff members at entry level positions historically is one (1) of the ways in which Board members enable this to occur. However, a retired teacher who has sought advanced educational training, professional development, develop technological proficiency, and maintained the desire to continue teaching could be a very appropriate applicant for open positions.

The Board recognizes that the retired teacher may, in fact, be the best candidate when an open position exists. In order to provide for such situations, the Board is willing to maintain a total re-employed staff which totals between five percent (5%) and ten percent (10%) of the STRS membership on January 1st of the year in which openings have been posted. In cases with extenuating circumstances where necessity requires that we consider exceeding ten percent (10%) of the STRS membership, the Superintendent will document the need and rationale to the Board. The Board will make the final determination.

Re-Employment Consideration

The teacher considering applying for re-employment for the next school year should by February 1st (of the year in which the teacher is considering retirement) request in writing a meeting with the Superintendent or his/her designee. At that meeting they will discuss the experience and training of the employee as well as the current job market conditions of the subject area of the retiring teacher. Re-employment of retiring teachers will not be considered during the regular school year.

Application for Re-Employment
 A.Following the meeting, the employee who determines that s/he will retire and wishes to be an applicant for re-employment, shall submit a letter of retirement intentions to the Superintendent by April 1st of the year they intend to retire. This is the same procedure followed by any staff member considering retirement.
 B.Once the retirement is approved by the Board, the position is considered to be open and the said teacher may become an applicant for the position. The District would then proceed with the normal hiring process of first internally posting, selecting appropriate applicants, interviewing, and recommending to the Board for hiring if appropriate applicants are available. If no internal candidates meet the qualifications and expectations for the position, we would then look to external candidates. Teachers retiring from other school districts shall be considered external candidates.
 C.If interviewees for any open teaching position include a retiring teacher, the interview team making the recommendation to the Board shall consist of the building principal, the Director of Personnel, and the Superintendent. This variation from the typical composition of the interview team is to avoid any potential awkwardness of peers making decisions about each other's future employment.
 D.If a retiring teacher is determined to be the most qualified candidate to fill the position from which they retired, a public hearing will be scheduled. The Treasurer will notify the public of the District's intent to rehire the retiring teacher/administrator. The Board's designee(s) will facilitate the hearing and serve as secretary to record the public meeting.

Re-Employed Teacher Candidates shall:
 A.meet the qualifications of the criteria established for the "highly qualified teacher" as set forth in the Federal NCLB legislation (required of all teachers by 2005-2006);
 B.show evidence of significant graduate work beyond the bachelor's degree;
 C.demonstrate technology skills at least at the novice level;
 D.meet acceptable standards of past attendance;
 E.submit a personal packet at the time of the interview.
  The packet shall include a resume of their teaching career, copies of all current certificates/licenses, a current Individual Professional Development Plan, and a written description of successful classroom lesson/presentation which aligns with the four (4) domains set forth in the teacher evaluation instrument. The teacher is encouraged to also include other items which show evidence of the teacher's successful career.
  The building principal will also be asked to complete a summary sheet of the teacher's building performance.

The Re-Employed Teacher Conference with the Superintendent

The re-employed teacher will meet with the Superintendent to discuss the conditions of employment. S/He will sign a contract/agreement which includes the following features:

 A.placed up to the fifth (5th) step* of the appropriate salary schedule;
  *Placement beyond the fifth (5th) step of the salary schedule shall be considered in extenuating circumstances or where the market conditions of employment for that particular position may require further consideration. In such cases, the Superintendent shall determine the appropriate placement on the schedule, not to exceed the tenth (10th) step.
 B.be eligible to earn and accumulate sick leave, however a severance payment will not be given when the employee leaves;
  Severance is paid at the time of the first retirement.
 C.will not have seniority rights other than over other re-employed teachers;
 D.will receive one (1) year contracts which will expire annually;
  The teacher will be evaluated with the same EM teacher evaluation instrument as other teachers and will participate in professional development activities. Multi-year or continuing contracts will not be given during the re-employed teacher's tenure. Renewal of the contract will be at the sole discretion of the Board.
 E.will be eligible to receive all benefits offered through East Muskingum Schools – such as dental, vision, life insurance, perfect attendance, etc.
  Health insurance to be added, effective 1/1/09.
  *If the re-employed staff member chooses to participate in the District health insurance plan, their salary will be reduced by an amount equal to the Board's share of the coverage they choose, effective 1/1/09.

Adopted 7/31/03
Revised 3/13/08