3131 - REDUCTION IN FORCE AND RECALL

Wa-Nee Community School Corporation

Bylaws & Policies

It is hereby recognized that it is within the legal authority and the discretion of the Board of School Trustees to reduce the educational program, the curriculum and the staff, separately or together, when the board determines that any such reduction is necessary for the reasons that may include the following:

	A.	budgetary or economic reasons;
	B.	decrease in student enrollments in specific levels, subject or program areas, or general student population;
	C.	program modifications or reductions;
	D.	State or Federal laws directly affecting staffing requirements.

Prior to commencing action to terminate teachers’ contracts under the Reduction in Force Policy, the Board of Education will attempt to make needed adjustments through:

	A.	retirement;
	B.	resignations;
	C.	transfer of existing staff;
	D.	leaves.

GUIDELINES FOR REDUCTION IN FORCE

The layoffs of teachers due to a reduction in force shall be accomplished pursuant to the following provisions.

	A.	Prior to any staff notification of pending reduction in force the Superintendent shall notify the president of Wa-Nee Education Association of the pending reduction in staff with a list of names of those teachers likely to be laid off.
	B.	The Superintendent shall determine the subject areas around grade levels and particular professional assignment in which staff reduction is necessary and shall make recommendations concerning such reductions to the Board.
	C.	Non-permanent and semi-permanent teachers shall be laid off before permanent teachers.
	D.	The Superintendent shall assign teachers to teach only in those endorsement areas s/he is properly certified to teach in Indiana.
	E.	In the event of a lay-off the Superintendent shall consider the factors set forth below in making the determination as to which teachers shall be laid off.

		1.	Non-permanent Teachers
			If the reduction force involves a non-permanent teacher, the Board need not give any special weight to the length of service of the teachers involved and will base the decision on the teacher’s performance evaluation.
		2.	Semi-permanent Teachers

			a.	No semi-permanent teachers shall be subject to reduction, if there are non-permanent teachers in a teaching area in which they are certified and/or eligible for approval by agencies accrediting the school (e.g. DOE, NCA), except in cases where special training and/or experience is needed in that teaching area.
			b.	Subject to #2.a above and maintaining proper certification, semi-permanent teachers shall be reduced within their statutory teacher classification and certification category on the criteria set forth below. The five (5) steps will receive rank order 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc., depending upon the number of positions compared. The person with the highest score will be reduced.

	3.	Permanent Teachers

	In the event of a reduction in office or lay-off, the following criteria shall be the sole determinants:

					RANK ORDER
					1	2	3	4	5
A.	LENGTH OF DISTRICT SERVICE

B.	EXTRA-CURRICULAR ASSIGNMENT INVOVLMENT 3 POINTS for each position held in activities ranked - LEVELS 13-16 5 POINTS for each position held in activities ranked - LEVELS 9-12 8 POINTS for each position held in activities ranked - LEVELS 5-8 10 POINTS for each position held in activities ranked - LEVELS 1-4 Levels are coordinated with the "Extra-Duty Salary Schedule" as listed in the contract negotiated between the Wa-Nee Educational Association and the Board of School Trustees of the Wa-Nee Community Schools, rather than job descriptions. As with "Extra-Duty Salary Schedule" increases or decreases, the level ranges will be raised or lowered corresponding by mutual agreement between the Executive Committee of the Wa-Nee Education Association and the Superintendent of the Wa-Nee Community Schools. A maximum accumulation under (GCPA E.3) is 15 Points.

C.	EVALUATION OF CLASSROOM PERFORMANCE

		F.	CERTIFICATION: Certification shall be defined as: "a teacher must hold a provisional or life license within his/her teaching area; a temporary permit is not valid certification during a reduction in force, and first time certification in his/her area must be met by the teacher by March 1, of that year."

		G.	SENIORITY: Seniority is defined as the employee’s length of service from his/her date of the beginning of the school year of original employment in Wa-Nee Community Schools.

			1.	Teachers on leave for a full year shall gain a year’s seniority, but not a year on the salary schedule. This covers maternity leave, professional leave, adoption leave, or other leaves of absence authorized by the school board.

			2.	One corporation-wide seniority list shall be established and updated by June 30, of each year. This list shall contain the names and dates of the beginning of the initial school year of employment and all the areas of certification for all teachers, including teachers on official leaves of absence. The seniority list shall be posted in each faculty lounge and available to each teacher who requests a copy.

		H.	If certification and seniority are equal, then evaluation up to but not including the year of reduction in force will break the tie.

	I.	If certification, seniority and evaluations are equal, then the tie will be broken by the administration.

	J.	A teacher whose current assignment is not available due to a reduction in force shall be allowed to displace a teacher in another assignment.

	K.	A teacher on an approved leave of absence shall be eligible for layoff and likewise for recall pursuant to the provisions of this policy.

	L.	The Superintendent or his/her designee shall discuss with the teacher the reasons for recommending to the Board such teacher’s layoff.

RECALL

	A.	In the event reduction takes place, a recall list of permanent and semi-permanent teachers released due to staff reduction shall be established for each teaching area. Teachers shall be placed on the recall lists in the order released and shall be recalled in reverse order as openings become available in the teachers’ teaching area.
	B.	Permanent and semi-permanent teachers who have been released due to staff reduction and who are on the recall list shall be recalled to open positions for which they held certification when originally terminated.
	C.	A teacher whose employment has been terminated as a result of staff reduction shall maintain his/her position on the recall list for a period of two (2) school years, provided s/he expresses in writing, at the end of the first year (June 15th) his/her desire to remain on the recall list.
	D.	Teachers on the recall list shall be given an opportunity to apply for temporary contracts provided they meet certification requirements for approval by agencies accrediting the school (e.g. DOE., N.C.A.).
	E.	A teacher on the recall list shall have his/her name placed on the substitute list which shall be distributed to all building principals, if requested by the teacher.

Revised 3/02