3120.10 - JOB SHARING

Mercer County Educational Service Center

Bylaws & Policies

3120.10 - JOB SHARING
Purpose

The purpose of job-sharing is to allow two teachers to share one teaching position. Job-sharing shall be voluntary, require the endorsement of the Superintendent or designee, and shall be approved for only one (1) year. Job sharing partners may reapply by March 1^st for each subsequent year they wish to continue the arrangement.

The Superintendent or designee’s decision to provide for a job-sharing program shall be based upon the needs of the building, unique elements of the position and the compatibility of the two teachers requesting to job share. The Superintendent or designee’s decision as to whether or not to agree to a job-sharing proposal and his/her decision to discontinue an existing job-sharing program is final and non-appealable.

Initiation

Teachers interested in job-sharing must submit a written joint proposal outlining some of the features they would include in their program to the Superintendent or designee prior to March 1^st of the preceding school year.

Required Elements of the Job-Sharing Proposal

	A.	Each team shall share one teaching assignment for one full school year.
	B.	Each team must submit a written proposing outlining how the time and teaching responsibilities shall be divided and shared. This designation shall continue for the entire year unless a change is approved by teachers and the Superintendent or designee in writing.
	C.	Each team shall address the unique elements of the positions and describe how such elements will be addressed.
	D.	Both teachers shall attend all required in-services, conferences, open houses, IEP meetings and staff meetings.
	E.	Both teachers shall assess students as usual and attend to all applicable classroom management duties.
	F.	The teachers’ daily schedule shall provide a 20 minute daily overlap for collaboration. The teachers will be expected to maintain close communication on a daily basis using their overlap time, e-mail and voice mail.
	G.	The Superintendent or designee may during the course of the school year implement any operational changes which s/he deems necessary or desirable to improve efficiency, enhance participant job satisfaction or maximize the educational environment for students.

Teacher Employment Rights

The participating teachers shall, during their employment on a job-sharing basis:

	A.	Receive a pro-rated salary based on the percentage of the job that the teacher performs in accordance with the teachers’ written proposal.
	B.	Accrue seniority and service years on a full-time basis.
	C.	Earn and use sick leave and personal leave on the basis that a day is a day. However, any carry-over of leaves from a full-time contract into a job-sharing contract shall be at a 200% rate, and any carry-over of leaves from a job-sharing contract into a full-time contract shall be at a 50% rate.
	D.	Receive up to a full day’s pay, calculated pro-rata on hours worked, if covering the absence of the other team member. Each job share partner will substitute in the absence of the other to reduce the number of teacher changes in the classroom.
	E.	Both job-share partners may be eligible for health insurance benefits. The Board shall pay their pro-rated share of the health insurance benefits for the P.P.O. of either of the single or family selected by the teacher. The pro-rated share is based on the percentage of the job the teacher performs. The amount of premiums paid by the Board shall not to exceed the total cost it normally would assume for one full-time teacher with a family plan. Each teacher shall be responsible for the remaining monthly premium payments.
		The overriding purpose of this provision is to assure that the Board’s cost of providing insurance to the team is no greater than that which it would incur if the work of the team were performed exclusively by the teacher having the most costly insurance premium in each coverage category.

Discontinuation of Job-Sharing Team

	A.	Should the Superintendent or designee (at any time) or either of the involved teachers (at the close of the school year) wish to discontinue the job-sharing program, the teacher on the team having the greater seniority shall retain the position on a full-time basis. If discontinuation of the job-sharing program results in the reduction of a teaching position, then a reduction in force may be implemented by the Board.
	B.	Participating teachers shall maintain a good faith effort to implement the program for the entire school year, unless released from the assignment by the Superintendent or designee. Should, due to unforeseen circumstances, a teacher be released or vacate the job-sharing program during the course of the school year, the other teacher shall assume all the teaching responsibilities and return to full-time status, unless otherwise agreed by the Superintendent or designee.

Adopted 3/16/09