Common use of PROFESSIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT Clause in Contracts

PROFESSIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT. A. The School Committee will pay the cost of in-service courses sponsored by the School Committee. B. The School Committee will pay the reasonable expenses including fees, meals, lodging and/or transportation incurred by teachers who attend School Committee approved workshops, seminars, conferences or other professional improvement sessions. The Superintendent will place all convention and conference information received at the Central Office in the school mailboxes not later than 24 hours after it has been received. C. The working arrangement of the present Academic Review Board will remain in effect, and also determine the appropriateness of the items listed in Clause A and B with regard to lateral and vertical changes on the Basic Salary Schedule. Effective the 2003-2004 school year, no more than 15 in-service credits approved by the Academic Review Board shall be applicable to the salary scale after a Master’s Degree is earned. Once a teacher has earned his/her Masters degree, they can apply up to, but no more than, fifteen (15) additional in-service credits which are approved by the Academic Review Board to the salary schedule for purposes of movement on the salary schedule. D. An academic review board of teachers, administrators and School Committee members will be formed in order to review and rule on requests by professional staff members for accreditation of work and projects done outside regular academic institutions and in in-service educational programs. The Academic Review Board shall review sabbatical leave of absence projects and make recommendations to the Superintendent of Schools concerning same under provisions of Article XIV of this contract. The composition of said Academic Review Board shall be: ● 4 Classroom Teachers, To be selected by the PR&R Committee ● 1 Administrator, To be selected by the Superintendent ● 2 School Committee members ● 1 Superintendent of Schools or designee The decision of this Academic Review Board shall be final and not subject to appeal to the PR&R Committee. The Academic Review Board will meet during September and elect a Chairman who will be responsible for calling all other meetings. E. Effective the 2002-2003 school year, the parties agree to form a committee of teachers and administrators that will meet at least once per month to discuss professional development and curriculum issues. Three members of the committee will be appointed by the Association. F. Effective the 2011-2012 school years the School Committee agrees to increase the tuition reimbursement fund to $36,000 for the purpose of reimbursement to teachers for the cost of college course reimbursement. The fund shall be renewed from school year to school year. Applicants for course approval must be submitted to the Superintendent by October 15, February 15, or May 15 depending on the semester, who has the sole discretion to approve or deny the requested course. Teachers shall be reimbursed $600 per college course. No teacher shall receive a second course reimbursement during the same school year until every teacher has had the opportunity to submit the reimbursement for their first course reimbursement. The decision of the Superintendent shall be final and shall not be subject to the parties’ grievance and arbitration procedure. G. The Burlington School Department agrees to reimburse employees covered by this agreement a total of $150 per person during the term of this agreement for continuing education credits, nurses’ licenses, and any state certifications.

PROFESSIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT. A. The School Committee will pay the cost of in-service courses sponsored by the School Committee. B. The School Committee will pay the reasonable expenses including fees, meals, lodging and/or transportation incurred by teachers who attend School Committee approved workshops, seminars, conferences or other professional improvement sessions. The Superintendent will place all convention and conference information received at the Central Office in the school mailboxes mail boxes not later than 24 hours after it has been received. C. The working arrangement of the present Academic Review Board will remain in effect, and also determine the appropriateness of the items listed in Clause A and B with regard to lateral and vertical changes on the Basic Salary Schedule. Effective the 2003-2004 school year, no more than 15 in-service credits approved by the Academic Review Board shall be applicable to the salary scale after a Master’s Degree is earned. Once a teacher has earned his/her Masters degree, they can apply up to, but no more than, fifteen (15) additional in-service credits which are approved by the Academic Review Board to the salary schedule for purposes of movement on the salary schedule. D. An academic review board of teachers, administrators and School Committee members will be formed in order to review and rule on requests by professional staff members for accreditation of work and projects done outside regular academic institutions and in in-service educational programs. The Academic Review Board shall review sabbatical leave of absence projects and make recommendations to the Superintendent of Schools concerning same under provisions of Article XIV of this contract. The composition of said Academic Review Board shall be: ● 4 Classroom Teachers, To be selected by the PR&R Committee ● 1 Administrator, To be selected by the Superintendent ● 2 School Committee members ● 1 Superintendent of Schools or designee The decision of this Academic Review Board shall be final and not subject to appeal to the PR&R Committee. The Academic Review Board will meet during September and elect a Chairman who will be responsible for calling all other meetings. E. Effective the 2002-2003 school year, the parties agree to form a committee of teachers and administrators that will meet at least once per month to discuss professional development and curriculum issues. Three members of the committee will be appointed by the Association. F. Effective the 2011-2012 school years the School Committee agrees to increase the tuition reimbursement fund to $36,000 for the purpose of reimbursement to teachers for the cost of college course reimbursement. The fund shall be renewed from school year to school year. Applicants for course approval must be submitted to the Superintendent by October 15, February 15, or May 15 depending on the semester, who has the sole discretion to approve or deny the requested course. Teachers shall be reimbursed $600 per college course. No teacher shall receive a second course reimbursement during the same school year until every teacher has had the opportunity to submit the reimbursement for their first course reimbursement. The decision of the Superintendent shall be final and shall not be subject to the parties’ grievance and arbitration procedure. G. The Burlington School Department agrees to reimburse employees Nurses covered by this agreement a total of $150 per person during the term of this agreement for continuing education credits, nurses’ licenses, and any state certifications.