3120 - EMPLOYMENT OF PROFESSIONAL STAFF

Lakeview Community Schools

Bylaws & Policies

The Board of Education recognizes that it is vital to the successful operation of the District that positions created by the Board be filled with highly-qualified and competent personnel.

The Board shall approve the employment, and also, when not covered by the terms of a negotiated, collectively-bargained agreement, fix the compensation, and establish the term of employment for each professional staff member employed by this District.

Individuals employed in the following categories shall be considered members of the professional staff:

	A.	teachers
	B.	administrators
	C.	social workers
	D.	librarians
	E.	speech and hearing specialists

All professional staff are subject to a criminal history record check. See Policy 3121.

Such approval shall be given only to those candidates for employment recommended by the Superintendent.

All applications for employment shall be referred to the Superintendent.

Relatives of Board members may be employed by the Board, provided the Board member does not participate in any way in the discussion or vote on the employment when conflict of interest is involved.

Applications for employment will not be accepted from any current District Board member. If a Board member wishes to apply for a position, his/her resignation must be accepted by the Board prior to submitting an application.

The Board may employ administrators, without provision for tenure, by means of a written contract for a term not to exceed three (3) years.

Any professional staff member's intentional misstatement of fact or omission material to his/her qualifications for employment or the determination of salary shall be considered by this Board to constitute grounds for dismissal.

The temporary employment of professional staff members prior to approval by the Board is authorized when their employment is required to maintain continuity in the educational program. Employment shall be recommended to the Board at the next regular meeting.

A person who is employed as an administrator is not required to have a school administrator's certificate issued by the Department of Education but must confirm that s/he has met or is in the process of fulfilling the educational requirements for school administrators established by the State Board of Education.

No candidate for employment to the professional staff as a nonadministrator shall receive recommendation for such employment without having proffered visual evidence of proper certification or that application for such certification is in process, except under the following circumstances:

	A.	The Superintendent may employ noncertificated, nonendorsed teachers to teach, in grades 9-12, a course in computer science, foreign language, mathematics, biology, chemistry, engineering, physics, robotics, or any other course approved by the State Board, providing they meet all of the conditions established by law and by the Superintendent.
	B.	The Superintendent may also employ a teacher without a valid teaching certificate if the person has at least ninety (90) semester hours of college credit from a college or university.
	C.	The Superintendent may hire an individual who does not hold a valid teaching certificate to serve in a counseling, social worker or speech pathologist role provided s/he meets all the requirements established by law. Policy 3120 and Policy 3121 shall apply with respect to that individual in the same manner required for employing a person with a teaching certificate.

Prior to hiring an applicant, the Superintendent shall obtain from the applicant a signed Consent to Obtain Records (Form 3120 F2) and shall obtain from the applicant's current or immediately-previous employer any records, including the applicant's personnel file relating to unprofessional conduct in which the applicant engaged. Any such records are to be reviewed prior to a recommendation for employment and may be disclosed to those individuals directly involved in evaluating the applicant's qualifications.

The Superintendent shall prepare administrative guidelines for the recruitment and selection of all professional staff.

REQUIREMENTS FOR TITLE I TEACHERS

All teachers hired for a Title I supported program must be "highly qualified."

"Highly Qualified" means:

	A.	full State certification as a teacher or passed State teacher licensing exam and holds current license to teach; certification or license requirements may not be waived on emergency, temporary, or provisional basis;
	B.	for elementary teachers new to the profession, this also requires:

		1.	at least a bachelor’s degree;
		2.	passing a rigorous State test on subject knowledge and teaching skills in reading, writing, math, and other areas of elementary curriculum (State certification test may suffice);

for secondary or middle school teachers new to the profession this also requires:

		1.	at least a bachelor’s degree, and
		2.	passing a rigorous State test in each of the subject areas s/he will teach (State certification test may suffice), or
		3.	for each academic subject taught, having an academic major, course work equivalent to an undergraduate major, a graduate degree, or advanced certification or credentialing;

for elementary, middle, or secondary school teachers with prior experience, this also requires:

		1.	at least a bachelor’s degree, and
		2.	meets standards for new teachers (above), or
		3.	demonstrates competence in all academic subjects s/he teaches based on a uniform State standard of evaluation (standard for academic subject matter and teaching skills set by the State).

REQUIREMENTS FOR TEACHERS IN DISTRICT RECEIVING TITLE I FUNDING

All core subject teachers (as defined in the No Child Left Behind Act) in a District receiving Title I funds shall be "highly qualified" as described above. The District must have a plan and show annual progress towards meeting these teacher qualification requirements.

M.C.L.A. 380.1229 – 1231, 380.1233, 380.1237, 380.1531d, 380.623
20 U.S.C. 6319 & 7801

Revised 1/13/97
Revised 3/22/99
Revised 11/12/01
Revised 1/27/03
Revised 1/12/04
Revised 12/04
Revised 11/14/05
Revised 11/13/06