AGREEMENT BETWEEN
THE HUNTERDON CENTRAL REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
ADMINISTRATORS ASSOCIATION
&
THE HUNTERDON CENTRAL REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
BOARD OF EDUCATION
July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2007
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ARTICLE PAGE
PREAMBLE 1
I RECOGNITION 1
II GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE 1-3
III PERSONAL AND ACADEMIC FREEDOM 3
IV COMPENSATION/WORK YEAR AND CALENDAR 4
V VACATION 4
VI SICK LEAVE 5
VII TEMPORARY LEAVES OF ABSENCE 5-7
VIII EXTENDED LEAVES OF ABSENCE 7-8
IX SABBATICAL LEAVE 8-10
X PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND
EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT 10-12
XI INSURANCE PROTECTION 12-13
XII BOARD'S RIGHTS 13
XIII RETIREMENT BENEFIT PROGRAM 14-15
XIV MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS 15-16
XV COMPENSATION 16-19
XVI CO/EXTRA CURRICULAR POSITIONS 19
XVII DURATION OF AGREEMENT 20
EXHIBIT A
PREAMBLE
THIS AGREEMENT is made and entered into on this 20th day of September, 2004 BETWEEN THE HUNTERDON CENTRAL REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL BOARD OF EDUCATION, HUNTERDON COUNTY, NEW JERSEY, hereafter the “Board”; AND THE HUNTERDON CENTRAL REGIONAL HIGH SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS ASSOCIATION, hereafter the “Association”;
WHEREAS, pursuant to the requirements of the New Jersey Employer-Employee Relations Act, agreements reached between public employers and the majority representative of the appropriate employee unit shall be embodied in writing, signed by the authorized representatives and filed with the New Jersey Public Employment Relations Commission.
NOW, THEREFORE, it is mutually agreed between the Board and the Association as follows:
ARTICLE I RECOGNITION
WHEREAS, certain agreements have been reached between the Board and the Association, the said Association being recognized majority representative of the unit of the Board’s employees consisting of the following personnel employed by the Board:
Department Supervisors/Coordinators
Vice Principals
Supervisor of Athletics
Supervisor of the Instructional Media Center
When used in this Agreement the terms “employee,” “administrator,” or ‘unit member” shall refer to all personnel in the above-specified positions.
ARTICLE II GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE
PREAMBLE:
Since the Board of Education must rely primarily upon the administration to carry out the Board policies and to see to the orderly and efficient operation of the school, the Board believes a quick decisive method for settling grievances and addressing problems of disharmony and/or confusion is a vital necessity. The Board believes also that it is in the ultimate best interests of all parties to this Agreement to settle such problems in-house, since no third party, whatever qualifications and faculties are brought to bear, can hope to understand Hunterdon Central Regional High School policies and procedures, immediate and final objectives, or to know Hunterdon Central Regional High School personnel better than we ourselves.
In this spirit, the Board supports the following grievance procedures:
1. The purpose of this procedure is to provide an orderly internal mechanism for the settlement of grievances.
2. Definitions:
a. A “grievance” is a claim by an employee or the Association that there has been a violation of the Agreement or of Board actions in the interpretation or application thereof with respect to said employee or Association, hereinafter call the “aggrieved.”
b. The aggrieved is the person or persons making a complaint.
3. A grievance to be considered under this procedure must be initiated by the aggrieved within thirty (30) calendar days from the date of the occurrence under complaint. Failure to initiate a grievance within thirty (30) calendar days or to process the grievance to the next step of the procedure within the specified time limits shall be deemed to be acceptance of the decision rendered below.
4. Procedures:
a. An employee having a grievance shall discuss it with his/her immediate supervisor within fifteen (15) calendar days. A written record of this discussion, signed by both parties, shall be made and filed.
b. If such grievance is not resolved within seven (7) calendar days, the aggrieved may refer it, in written form, to the Superintendent.
Step Two:
If a grievance is not resolved by the Superintendent of Schools within the fourteen (14) calendar days after the presentation of the grievance, the aggrieved may, within seven (7) calendar days thereafter, refer the grievance, in written form, to the Board.
Step Three:
Within twenty (20) calendar days after receipt of the grievance, the Board or the Human Resource Committee thereof, shall hold a hearing in Executive Session. Both the aggrieved and the Superintendent of Schools may be present at such hearing. The Board will issue a written decision within seven (7) calendar days after the hearing. This decision may be the recommendation of the Human Resource Committee, or, for more serious problems, the finding of the Board acting as a Committee of the whole. If the grievance is first reviewed and acted upon by the Human Resource Committee, the grievant may submit a final appeal to the Board of Education.
Step Four:
a. If the grievance cannot be resolved at Step Three, the Board of Education and the Association agree to accept binding arbitration as conducted under the guidelines of the New Jersey Public Employment Relations Commission, with findings of the binding arbitration being legally binding for all parties. The Board and the Association shall have the right to refer the decision of the Board of Education to binding arbitration by written notice to the other party within ten (10) school days of receipt of the written decision of the Board. The New Jersey Public Employment Relations Commission shall be the agency used in selecting arbitration and in the arbitration procedures.
b. This arbitrator, in making the award, shall be limited to the issues submitted to him/her and shall consider nothing else. The arbitrator shall not alter any part of the Agreement between the Board of Education and the Association or any policy of the Board.
c. The decision of the arbitrator shall be binding. Only the Board and the aggrieved and his/her representative(s) shall be given copies of the arbitrator’s report of findings and recommendations. This shall be accomplished within thirty (30) calendar days of the completion of the arbitrator’s award.
d. The expenses and salary for the services of the arbitrator shall be shared equally by the Board and the Association.
5. All meetings and hearings under the grievance procedures outlined in the four (4) levels in this Article of the Agreement shall not be conducted in public unless so desired by the aggrieved. The Board and the aggrieved and his/her representatives shall mutually respect confidences regarding public disclosure of the nature of the grievance through all levels of this process. This constitutes the final phase of the grievance procedure.
ARTICLE III PERSONAL AND ACADEMIC FREEDOM
A. The Board and the Association agree that the private and personal life of an employee is within the appropriate concern or attention of the Board only when it interferes with the employee’s responsibilities to and relationship with students and/or the school system.
B. The Board and the Association agree that employees will be entitled to full rights of citizenship and no religious, civic or political activities of any employee outside of school, or the lack thereof, will be grounds for any disciplinary action or discrimination with respect to the employment of such employee, providing they do not violate the Constitution of the United States.
C. The Board and the Association agree that there shall be no discrimination and that all practices, procedures, and policies of the school system shall clearly exemplify that there is no discrimination in the hiring, training, assignment, promotion, transfer, or discipline of members or in the application or administration of this Agreement on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, domicile, physical disability, gender, sexual orientation or marital status.
D. If any provision of this Agreement or any application of this Agreement to any employee or group of employees is held to be contrary to law, then such provision or application shall not be deemed valid and subsisting, except to the extent permitted by law. but all provisions or applications shall continue in full force and effect.
ARTICLE IV
COMPENSATION/ WORK YEAR, CALENDAR AND DAY
A. The school year calendars for the term of this Contract shall be established in accordance with Board Policy.
B. The compensation year for unit members will be 239 days; 216 work days and 23 paid vacation days.
C. If the Superintendent determines additional days are deemed necessary for employees, they will be compensated at the average daily (per diem) rate of pay based upon their work year of 216 days. The average daily (per diem) rate of pay will be calculated annually by dividing the average salary by 216 days.
D. Work hours will be no less than eight (8) hours daily, but will be dictated by the needs of the district and its students.
E. The school calendar will be distributed to each employee included in the Recognition Clause prior to June 1st of each year.
ARTICLE V
VACATION
A. Administrators will be granted twenty-three (23) vacation days each full year, and a pro-rate portion for less than a full year. The pro-ration shall be two (2) days per month to a maximum of twenty-three (23) days. Full credit will be given for partial months.
B. In scheduling vacations, first consideration will be the needs of the school after which seniority will govern. Eligibility will be computed as of July 1 of each year. The last two weeks before the opening of school will not be used for vacation unless approved by the Superintendent.
C. Upon leaving Hunterdon Central Regional High School, any employee who has unused yearly vacation days due him/her will be paid such days at their regular rate of pay, which will be calculated at 1/216 of the unit member's current annual salary. (Annual salary includes base salary, graduate credit compensation and longevity compensation as defined in Article XV of this agreement.)
D. A reply to a request for vacation shall be received within ten (10) working days of the request. All requests for the use of vacation days shall be subject to the approval of the Superintendent.
E. A minimum of fifteen (15) days of vacation must be used in July and August.
F. A maximum of seven (7) unused vacations days can be carried over from one contract year to the next year. These days must be used during the contract year to which they are carried over and cannot be accumulated past one contract year.
ARTICLE VI
SICK LEAVE
A. All employees of the Hunterdon Central Regional High School Administrators Association shall be entitled to thirteen (13) sick leave days each school year as of the first official day of said school year, whether or not they report for duty on that date.
B. Non-accumulative additional sick leave benefits shall be allowed to employees according to the following schedule:
First Year: twenty (20) days;
Second Year: fifteen (15) days;
Third Year: ten (10) days;
and every year thereafter: ten (10) days.
C. The thirteen (13) annual accumulated sick leave days shall be used before non-accumulated sick leave days.
D. The Board of Education reserves the right to require a certificate from a doctor in any case where a school employee is absent for three (3) or more consecutive days.
E. A maximum of twenty-five (25) sick days earned at the unit member's prior place of educational employment will be recorded as non-accumulative sick days; to be available for use should accumulated sick days accrued during employment at Hunterdon Central Regional High School be exhausted.
ARTICLE VII
TEMPORARY LEAVES OF ABSENCE
Hunterdon Central Regional High School Administrators Association employees shall be entitled to the following temporary non-accumulative leaves of absence with full pay each school year in addition to any sick leave to which the employee is entitled.
A. Two (2) days leave of absence for personal business, or family matters which require absence during school hours. Application to the immediate supervisor for personal leave shall be made at least five (5) days before taking such leave (except in cases of emergencies) and the applicant for such leave shall not be required to state the reason for taking such leave other than he/she is taking it under this section. It is understood that such personal leave excludes vacations, household and other routine matters, which could otherwise be equally satisfactorily performed on days when school is not in session. With the approval of the Superintendent, employees can carry over unused personal days from one work year to the next work year. The employee will designate whether unused personal days will be added to (1) accumulated sick days or (2) personal days. It is understood that personal leave days carried over to the new work year as additional personal days can not be accumulated beyond one year at their initial expiration date. Requests for carrying over unused personal days must be submitted to the Superintendent by June 30.
Unit members will submit requests for carryover of unused vacation days and unused personal days to the Human Resources Office by June 15 of the current contract year, using form "Exhibit A". The Human Resources Office will provide data for each unit member on the number of unused vacation days and unused personal days as of June 30 of the current contract year. By July 15 of the next contract year, the Human Resources Office will confirm the carryover of unused vacation days and unused personal days in writing to the unit member.
B. The Board recognizes the value of school visitations and attendance at meetings or conferences of an educational nature, and encourages members of the administrative and supervisory staff to participate in those visitations, meetings and/or conferences which can contribute to the program within the school. Adequate notice shall be given to the immediate supervisor.
C. Adequate time to attend conferences and conventions of state and national professional organizations. Application to the immediate supervisor for such leave shall be made at least (5) days before taking such leave.
D. Time necessary for appearances in any legal proceeding, connected with employment or with the school system if the employee is required by law to attend.
E. The Board shall grant two (2) days leave of absence as family illness days.
F. Funeral Days: Up to five (5) days at any time within ten (10) school days after the death of an employee's spouse, child, parent, brother, sister, any other member of the immediate household and mother-in-law and father-in-law. In all other cases, one (1) day shall be granted unless a longer leave, based on extenuating circumstances, is approved by the Superintendent.
G. Days for which applications may be made at the end of a school year and/or the beginning of a school year, as may be required to attend summer school classes and/or travel to the place where such classes are to be held. To be effective said application must be approved by the Superintendent.
H. The Board shall grant one (1) day for the purpose of attending the marriage of a member of the immediate family.
I. The Board shall grant up to five (5) days leave for the purpose of marriage at any time within ten (10) school days before and five (5) school days after the wedding.
J. The Board shall grant time necessary for persons called into temporary active duty, not to exceed three (3) months, of any unit of the US Reserves of the State National Guard, provided such obligation cannot be fulfilled on days when school is not in session. An employee shall be paid his/her regular pay in addition to any which he/she received from the state or federal government.
K. Other leaves of absence with pay or without pay may be granted by the Board for any good reason, and extension or renewals or leaves shall be granted if approved by the Superintendent.
ARTICLE VIII
EXTENDED LEAVES OF ABSENCE
A. A leave of absence without pay of up to two (2) years shall be granted to any employee who joins the Peace Corps, VISTA, National Teacher Corps, or serves as an exchange teacher or overseas teacher, and is a full-time participant in either such programs or accepts a Fulbright Scholarship.
B. An employee may be granted a leave of absence without pay for up to two (2) years to teach in an accredited college or university.
C. Military leave without pay shall be granted to any employee who is inducted or enlists in any branch of the Armed Forces of the United States for the period of said induction or initial enlistment.
D. 1. Any employee shall apply for a child-rearing leave as soon as a pregnancy
is medically confirmed and said leave shall be granted. Accumulated and non-accumulated sick days may be used during a maternity leave with appropriate medical documentation.
An employee, upon return to employment, shall be advanced on the salary schedule on July 1 for that position which he/she occupied when applying for the child-rearing leave of absence if that employee returns to work by January 1. A child-rearing leave shall not exceed more than two (2) years after the start of the leave. Return from child rearing shall occur only at the beginning of a semester or school year.
2. Any employee adopting a child shall receive leave without pay which shall commence upon receiving de facto custody of said child, or earlier if necessary to fulfill the requirements for adoption, not to exceed a period of two (2) years. At the employee’s request an employee on leave shall be placed on the substitute list of the Hunterdon Central Regional High School district. If the leave exceeds one (1) month, the return to employment must coincide with the beginning of a school year.
3. For the purposes of this Agreement, disability leave is defined by State of New Jersey regulations. Child-rearing leave for tenured members of the Association does not include leave with salary or benefits.
E. 1. Upon return from leave granted pursuant to Section A, B, or C of this
Article, an employee shall be considered as if he/she were actively employed by the Board during the leave he/she would have achieved if he/she had not been absent, provided, however, that the time spent on said leave shall not count toward the fulfillment of the time requirements for acquiring tenure. However, credit on the salary schedule for leaves taken pursuant to Section C of this Article shall be limited to a maximum of four (4) years. Upon return from leaves granted pursuant to Sections A, B, or C of this Article, the salary increment received by the employee, “Value of leave,” shall be determined by the following criteria:
a. Demonstrated acquisition of new knowledge and/or skills consistent with the employee’s current job description, and
b. Completion of a plan by the employee for use in new knowledge and/or skills at Hunterdon Central Regional High School.
2. All benefits to which an employee was entitled to at the time his/her leave of absence commenced, including unused accumulated sick leave and credits toward sabbatical eligibility, shall be restored to him/her upon return, and he/she shall be assigned to a position on the same basis as if he/she had been employed by the Board during the period of his/her absence.
F. All extensions or renewals of leaves shall be applied for in writing to the Superintendent within sixty (60) days prior to the expiration of such leave. The Superintendent will submit requests of applications for extensions or renewals of leave to the Board of Education within thirty (30) calendar days of receipt. Responses to requests for extensions or renewals of leaves shall be received by the applicant no later than ten (10) days after the next Board of Education meeting.
ARTICLE IX
SABBATICAL LEAVE
It is the policy of the Board of Education to grant sabbatical leave to employees for study and/or other valid reasons.
A. The Board and the Association agree to establish jointly a Committee on Sabbatical Leaves, which shall consider and pass on all applications and requests for sabbatical. This Committee on Sabbatical Leaves, hereinafter referred to in this Article as "the Committee' shall consist of three (3) members appointed by the Superintendent, and three (3) members appointed by the Association President. A unit member serving on the Committee on Sabbatical Leaves may not be a candidate for sabbatical leave and make appropriate recommendations to the Board with regard to those applications, including salary and the duration of the leave.
B. An administrator on sabbatical leave shall be considered a regular and fully employed administrator in the Hunterdon Central Regional High School District, and as such, shall be entitled to all rights, privileges, and benefits pertaining thereto.
C. An administrator on leave shall be paid sixty percent (60%) of his/her salary for a 12 month sabbatical. An administrator on a 6 month sabbatical, 3 month sabbatical or 15 work day sabbatical shall be paid full salary.
1. In addition to 12 month, six month and three month sabbatical leaves, a unit member can apply for one sabbatical leave encompassing fifteen (15) work days during the period of July 1 through August 31 expressly for the purpose of coursework counting towards a doctoral degree.
2. One additional sabbatical leave consisting of 15 work days during the period from July 1 through August 31 for the purpose of approved graduate coursework may be recommended by the Committee on Sabbatical Leaves in the event that no unit members are granted 12 month, 6 month and/or 3 month sabbatical leaves by the Board of Education for any one contract year.
D. A sabbatical leave shall be granted to an administrator by the Board for study in school administration and subject area(s) based upon the following conditions:
1. When the applicant meets the criteria outlined in this policy, including a plan for managing supervisory services, a sabbatical leave shall be granted to a maximum of one administrator if it in no way upsets or harms the educational process.
2. Individuals who wish to apply for administrative sabbatical leave must submit their requests in writing to the Superintendent not later than November 1 of the academic year prior to the year for which the sabbatical is requested.
3. The Superintendent will deliver the request to the Committee on Sabbatical Leaves before November 15 of the academic year prior to the year for which the sabbatical is requested.
4. a. The Committee on Sabbatical Leaves will make its
recommendations to the Board of Education prior to the February
Board meeting of the academic year in which the request is made.
b. The Chairperson of the Committee on Sabbatical Leaves
will notify the applicants of the outcome by March 1 of the
academic year in which the request is made.
5. In making its decision the Committee on Sabbatical Leaves shall be guided by, and the applicant’s request should include, the following matters:
a. the nature of the purpose of the leave,
b. the duration,
c. the applicant’s intent to apply for a grant, fellowship, or scholarship,
d. the date of the applicant’s most recent sabbatical, if applicable, and
e. the benefit of the sabbatical leave to the school district.
6. The Committee on Sabbatical Leaves shall not regard any one of the above enumerated criteria as a mandatory requirement for sabbatical leave, but, rather each application shall be considered on the basis of its own merit.
7. An administrator who has completed sabbatical leave shall be morally obligated to continue his/her employment with the District for a period not less than twice the duration of the sabbatical.
8. Upon completing the sabbatical, the recipient shall make a written report to the Board of Education which details the value of the sabbatical to (1) personal growth and (2) school improvement, and which provides a plan for sharing of the report’s content with the faculty and staff of the school.
9. Individuals who find it necessary to terminate their sabbaticals before the normal date of expiration must notify the Superintendent immediately. If for any reason the recipient of a sabbatical leave must terminate the sabbatical leave within a period of ninety (90) days prior to its beginning, the second ranking applicant will commence a leave at a mutually-agreed-upon date at a salary comparable to the salary status of the applicant, had he/she been accepted as the number one ranking applicant.
ARTICLE X
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT
In our rapidly changing society, administrators must constantly review curricular content, teaching methods and materials, educational philosophy and goals, social change and other topics related to education. The Board recognizes that it shares with its professional staff responsibility for upgrading and updating of administrative and supervisory staff performance and attitudes. The Board and the Association support the principle of continuing training of administrative staff and the improvement of instruction.
A. To work toward the ends stated above, the Board agrees to establish a procedure by which employees may appeal decisions on authorization to attend courses, workshops, seminars, conferences, in-service training sessions or other such sessions. Within ten (10) days after signing the Agreement, the Superintendent and President of the Association shall each appoint two (2) persons to a committee, selecting a Chairperson, who shall be a voting member, among themselves to reach these ends. The Superintendent and the President of the Association may, from time to time, replace committee members appointed by them.
B. Educational Expenses
1. All graduate coursework for which the school district is expected to make payment must be approved in advance of any type of commitment by the school district Superintendent, subject to appeal pursuant to Section A of this Article.
2. Tuition reimbursement will be provided at the rates noted below:
July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2005 $450.00 per credit
July 1, 2005 through June 30, 2006 $460.00 per credit
July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007 $465.00 per credit
The Board of Education will also reimburse the fees charged for required textbooks.
3. Reimbursement will be made by the Board of Education upon submission by the administrator to the Superintendent of receipts for payment from the college and the bookstore. Payment will be made following submission by the employee of evidence that the course has been satisfactorily completed and a passing grade received. To be considered passing, a grade must be accepted toward graduate credit by the college attended.
4. For employees, the Board of Education will pay the tuition for a maximum of twelve (12) graduate credits within one (1) year, non-accumulative. Employees on sabbatical leave shall be paid the tuition for all courses that are in field and in excess of a maximum of twelve (12) credits. Whether or not courses are in the field shall be determined by the Superintendent.
5. In the case of employees who are not under tenure in the district the Board of Education will reimburse for tuition to a maximum of nine (9) graduate credits within one (1) year, non-accumulative. An employee is considered to be under tenure as of the first (1st) day of the fourth year of employment.
6. For employees who have achieved tenure in the district and are promoted to positions represented by Hunterdon Central Regional High School Administrators Association, the Board of Education will reimburse for tuition to a maximum of twelve (12) graduate credits within one (1) year, non-accumulative. An employee who has achieved tenure in the district prior to being represented by the Association is considered to be under tenure as of the first (1st ) day of the third year of employment.
7. A year is defined as being from July 1st of one year to June 30th of the following year.
C. Professional Development
1. The Board shall appropriate $17,500.00 per year in each of the three years of this agreement for use in the professional development of employees. These funds shall be used to send a total of no more than seven (7) employees per year to a statewide, regional or national conference, with each attendee receiving a maximum of $2,500.00 in a given year. The Association shall recommend the attendees each year. The Superintendent shall make the final determination of who will attend which conference. Every employee must be given the opportunity to attend a regional or national conference during the term of this contract (one conference per three year period).
2. In the event the funds specified above are not fully expended for conference attendance, the remaining funds shall revert to the Board.
3. The Board agrees to provide funding of $5,500 per year for each year of the negotiated agreement to support funding of and attendance at staff development activities. The Association, in consultation with the Principal and Superintendent, shall determine the design of such programs and who shall attend them.
ARTICLE XI
INSURANCE PROTECTION
A. Except as specifically stated in this Article, group insurance benefits for employees will be identical to the group insurance benefits for the District’s teachers. Whenever group insurance benefits for teachers are improved or diminished, the modification in the benefits will be effective for employees covered by the contract on the same date that the benefit modification becomes effective for teachers.
B. The Board will provide the co-pay for the New Jersey State Disability Insurance Plan.
C. Unit members may participate in an optional IRS 125 Premium Only Plan. The Plan will follow a calendar year and provides employees the opportunity to set aside up to $2,000 annually for medical expenses and up to $5,000 annually for dependent care reimbursement. Monies deposited into an employee individual POP account that are not expended by the end of the benefits year would revert to the Board of Education and can not be rolled over into the next benefit year. The Board of Education will pay the cost of administering and operating these medical savings plans. Should federal limits change, these limits will change accordingly.
D. The Board will establish and maintain individual 401A annuity accounts for each unit member. After either five (5) years of administrative service in the district or upon retirement into the TPAF retirement system, accounts will be accessible to unit members and each member will have sole ownership of their individual 401A account. The schedule of payments into their tax deferred account will be structured according to the schedule shown below, and will commence upon signing of this contract or on the date of hire for new employees.
Payments into individual 401A annuity accounts will be made in June of each fiscal year according to the following schedules. Individual unit members will determine how the contributions will be invested.
04/05 05/06 06/07
Unit members not on tenure $ 500 $ 625 $ 750 Unit members on tenure $ 750 $ 875 $1,000
Unit members with 5 years in-district service $1,000 $1,125 $1,250
Unit members with 10 years in-district service $1,250 $1,375 $1,500
Unit members with 15 years in-district service $1,500 $1,625 $1,750
Unit members with 20 years in-district service $1,750 $1,875 $2,000
E. All benefits identified in Article XI, which have accrued to the deceased employee at the time of death, shall be paid to the employee’s estate and/or employee’s designated survivors.
ARTICLE XII
BOARD’S RIGHTS
The Board and the Association agree that except as modified by law and the Agreement, the Board of Education has the right:
1. To direct employees of the school district;
2. To hire, assign, retain or discharge employees of the school district;
3. To maintain efficiency of the school district operation entrusted to it; and
4. To determine methods, means, and personnel by which such operations are to be conducted.
ARTICLE XIII
RETIREMENT BENEFIT PROGRAM
The Board agrees to implement a Retirement Benefit Program.
A. Eligibility
All full-time employees who have accumulated a minimum of forty (40) unused sick days at the time of retirement from the District and who have provided verification of retirement into the Teachers Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF) system are eligible for retirement benefits as stated in this Article.
1. Exceptions
No employees shall be entitled to the Retirement Benefit Program upon returning from a leave of absence, other than sick leave, until said employee has completed a minimum of ten(10) months work.
B. Benefit
Each eligible employee shall receive a retirement benefit of one (1) day’s salary (a benefit day) for each three (3) days accumulated unused sick leave but not to exceed sixty-five (65) benefit days.
C. Retirement benefit payments shall be made in a lump sum by July 1 of the ensuing contract year in which the eligible employee terminates. Such payment shall be in addition to such annual salary for the year in which he/she terminates. These payments are computed at 1/216 of individual salary.
Administration recommends, but does not require that, HCRHSAA unit members participate in a 403B retirement benefit program. HCRHSAA unit members who retire may elect to have their benefit paid into the 403B plan. If they do not have a 403B plan, the retirement benefit may be paid in a lump sum check or may be paid into a money market account. Employees may have the option of electing to receive the retirement benefit in equal annual installments paid over one (1) to five (5) years.
D. Accumulation Date
The effective starting date for accounting accumulated unused sick leave is July 1, 1956.
E. This Article is subject to change by reason of changes in the law, and it is expressly understood will be applied in accordance with the law.
F. A stipend of five hundred dollars ($500.00) shall be given to a full-time employee who has acquired seventy (70) unused accumulated sick days at the close of the school year in which said employee has accumulated seventy (70) days. The stipend shall be given to any particular employee only once.
G. A stipend of five hundred dollars ($500.00) shall be given to a full-time employee who has acquired one hundred and ten (110) unused accumulated sick days at the close of the school year in which said employee has accumulated one hundred and ten (110) days. The stipend shall be given to any particular employee only once.
H. Employees who begin the work year with three (3) personal days and have not used any personal days by the end of the work year may elect to have all of those personal days counted as benefit days. These benefit days will be counted over and above the 65 day limit and will be paid at the same rate as the other benefit days. One unused day may carry over to the next work year. If the unit member has donated a personal day to the catastrophic illness bank, it will be considered a “used” day.
I. Memorandum of Understanding
The Hunterdon Central Regional High School Administrators Association reserves the right to discuss compensation for unused sick days on an individual basis upon an employee’s retirement with the Board of Education and/or his representatives.
ARTICLE XIV
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
A. This Agreement constitutes Board and Association policy for the term of said Agreement, and the Board and Association shall carry out the commitments contained herein and give them full force and effect as Board and Association Policy.
B. Any individual contract between the Board and an individual employee, heretofore executed, shall be subject to and consistent with the terms and conditions of this Agreement. If an individual contract contains any language inconsistent with this Agreement, this Agreement, during its duration, shall be controlling.
C. Copies of this Agreement shall be reproduced at the expense of the Board and the Association within thirty (30) days after the Agreement is signed and presented to all employees now employed, hereafter employed, or considered for employment by the Board.
D. Whenever any notice is required to be given by either of the parties to this Agreement to the other, pursuant to the provision(s) of this Agreement, either party shall do so by letter at the following addresses:
1. If by the Board to the Association:
President
Hunterdon Central Regional High School Administration Association
Hunterdon Central Regional High School
84 Route 31, Flemington, New Jersey 08822
2. If by the Association to the Board:
Secretary Board of Education
Hunterdon Central Regional High School
84 Route 31, Flemington, New Jersey 08822
E. Every effort will be made to see that all unit members will not be required to teach classes because of the heavy demand of the job and the demands upon their time.
F. The Board, in recognizing the importance of professional educational affiliations, will pay for such professional dues and extended legal support in an amount not to exceed $1,100.00 annually for each unit member.
G. The Board will provide to each unit member a laptop computer or other portable device and appropriate software for professional use. This computer and related software remains the property of the Board. A unit member may purchase this laptop computer from the Board at its fair market value at the conclusion of the final year of the negotiated agreement.
Provision of the laptop computer or other portable device will not replace or substitute for provision of desktop personal computers used by unit members at Hunterdon Central Regional High School.
ARTICLE XV
COMPENSATION
A. Compensation
1. Unit members will be compensated according to the salary guide structure noted here during the three years of the negotiated agreement.
2004/2005 2005/2006 2006/2007
| Step | Rate | Step | Rate | Step | Rate |
 | | | | | |
1 | | 81,744 | 1 | 85,660 | 189,791 |
2 | | 85,212 | 2 | 89,128 | 293,259 |
3 | | 88,680 | 3 | 92,596 | 396,727 |
4 | | 92,148 | 4 | 96,064 | 4100,195 |
5 | | 95,616 | 5 | 99,532 | 5103,663 |
6 | | 99,084 | 6 | 103,000 | 6107,131 |
7 | | 102,552 | 7 | 106,468 | 7110,599 |
| Coordinator Base Salary |
|
2004/20052005/20062006/2007 |
|
| Step Rate Step Rate Step Rate |
|
177,657 181,377 185,301 |
280,951 284,672 288,596 |
384,246 387,966 391,891 |
487,541 491,261 495,185 |
590,835 594,555 598,480 |
694,130 697,850 6101,774 |
797,424 7101,145 7105,069 |
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2. Unit members actively employed as of January 1 of a calendar year will be eligible for salary guide advancements at July 1 of that same calendar year.
3. Compensation will also be included in base salary for unit members based upon attainment of graduate credits per the compensation schedule shown here. Only graduate credits will be recognized toward guide adjustments. This compensation is in addition to increments displayed in the salary guide:
Effective July 1, 2004, Master’s plus 60 is deleted. Unit members: Lynn Luster, Will Richardson, and Jennifer Spieker, at Master’s plus 60 will receive compensation in the amount of $4,600 in addition to increments and will continue in that category until such time as they attain a doctoral degree or leave the district.
These individuals who have attained Master's plus 60 graduate credits as of June 30, 2004 will be compensated at no less than the Master's plus 60 credit level figure for as long as they remain district employees and members of the HCRHSAA. These same individuals will receive proportional graduate credit compensation increases in the future so that their graduate credit compensation remains greater than the Master's plus 45 credit compensation level.
Masters plus 15 credits: Additional $1,150
Masters plus 30 credits: Additional $2,300
Masters plus 45 credits: Additional $3,450
Doctoral degree: Additional $4,750
4. Administrators' compensation for the length of this negotiated agreement is an attachment to this agreement. Adjustments to unit member compensation based upon the attainment of graduate credit will be made as follows: if the unit member attains sufficient graduate credits to receive additional compensation as noted in Section A.3, and documentation of these graduate credits being completed is provided to the Human Resources office and verified prior to January 1 of a given contract year, the unit member will receive a pro-rated amount of the additional compensation. Beginning July 1 of the next contract year, the unit member will receive the full additional compensation as noted in Section A.3.
5. Each unit member will receive annual longevity of services compensation added to their pensionable base salary based upon years of administrative service in the Hunterdon Central Regional High School District. This longevity compensation is cumulative. Initial provision of longevity compensation for unit members will include the dollar amount for the tier representing their current length of administrative service in the district, plus the dollar amount of all prior tiers.
Tier One End of year 7 of administrative service at HCRHS $ 500.00
Tier Two End of year 10 of administrative service at HCRHS $ 750.00
Tier Three End of year 13 of administrative service at HCRHS $ 1,000.00
Tier Four End of year 16 of administrative service at HCRHS $ 1,250.00
Tier Five End of year 19 of administrative service at HCRHS $ 1,500.00
Tier Six End of year 22 of administrative service at HCRHS $ 1,750.00
Tier Seven End of year 25 of administrative service at HCRHS $ 2,000.00
Tier Eight End of year 30 of administrative service at HCRHS $ 3,000.00
Unit members who were hired prior to January 1 of a given contract year will receive a 50% pro-ration of their longevity compensation during that contract year, and receive full compensation for that longevity tier beginning on July 1 of the subsequent contract year.
B. Employees will be paid at the rate of $50 per hour to supervise Saturday detention and for attendance at court proceedings beyond the contract day related to the performance of the employee’s job description.
C. Unit members who teach in the HCRHS Academy for Continual Development, the Hunterdon County Educational Technology and Training Center, or a comparable program for the purpose of education and/or training members of the HCRHS community will be compensated at the rate of $50 per hour.
ARTICLE XVI
CO/EXTRA CURRICULAR POSITIONS
The Board of Education and the Association agree that in cases where members of the Hunterdon Central Regional High School Educational Association are not hired for paid co-curricular and paid extra-curricular positions posted by the district, that employees will have the right to apply for paid co-curricular and paid extra-curricular positions before the district accepts applications from individuals not employed by the Board of Education.
ARTICLE XVII
DURATION OF AGREEMENT
This Agreement shall be effective as of July 1, 2004 and shall continue in effect until June 30, 2007.
Negotiations on a successor Agreement, as provided in Article II, shall commence no later than the date established by the Public Employment Relations Commission. Discussions on the general operation of Hunterdon Central Regional High School are appropriate at any time.
In witness whereof, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be signed by their respective Presidents and attested by their respective Secretaries.
Hunterdon Central Regional High School Hunterdon Central Regional High School
Administrators Association Board of Education
By: _______________________________ By:_______________________________ President President
Date: _____________________________ Date:_____________________________
By: _______________________________ By: ______________________________
Secretary Secretary
Date: _____________________________ Date:_____________________________
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