Common use of Professional Hours Clause in Contracts

Professional Hours. A. The teachers’ professional day shall be considered as those hours and activities required to perform their professional duties as they occur before, during, and/or after the student day. Normally, the teachers’ responsibility for being in their assigned building(s) shall not exceed thirty-one (31) hours a week. It is recognized by the Association that each teacher is expected to be punctual and regular in attendance for all assignments indicated in this Article. B. Teachers shall be present in their assigned buildings before, during, or after the student day at times scheduled for student contact, other scheduled student activities, office hours, consulting, advising, counseling, meeting with parents, consultants and other resource personnel, and team planning. No teacher shall be required to accept a regular schedule which allows for an uninterrupted lunch period of less than twenty-five (25) minutes. Lunch periods shall be scheduled within the period from thirty (30) minutes before the beginning to thirty (30) minutes after the end of the student lunch period unless agreed otherwise between the teacher and administration. No teacher shall be required to perform any breakfast, lunch, or food supervision duties. 1. Teachers who elect to leave their assigned building during their unscheduled hours shall give proper notice to the school office before their departure and immediately upon their return. 2. Teachers will be in their assigned building ten (10) minutes prior to their initial daily assignment and ten (10) minutes after their culminating assignment of the day. Teachers will be punctual and in all cases involving student groups will arrive appropriately before and depart appropriately after the students. 3. All teachers agree to attend IEP Team meetings, open house/curriculum night, parent/teacher conferences, and parent meetings. In all but emergency situations, teachers are to receive no less than seventy-two (72) hours notice of meetings. 4. At all levels, Tuesdays will be reserved for building staff meetings. Except in emergencies, no more than four (4) hours per month will be scheduled for these meetings. For months when parent conferences are scheduled the number of hours will be limited to two (2) hours. Examples of these meetings to be included in the four (4) hours per month are staff meetings, department/grade level meetings, Kindergarten roundup, Professional Learning Communities/Communities of Practice, on-line professional development, Spring IRIPS (Individual Reading Improvement Plans), and reproductive health. Teachers who travel between buildings shall be assigned to one (1) building for the purpose of attending staff meetings. Administrators will confer periodically with the traveling teachers. C. The Association recognizes the valuable contribution made to the educational program by the parent-teacher organizations and/or associations of East Lansing. All teachers, therefore, will make a reasonable effort to attend meetings as scheduled by these organizations or associations. D. The normal weekly student contact teaching load in the high school shall not exceed twenty-five (25) hours and twenty-five (25) minutes and all specially called group meetings, homeroom periods, and assemblies shall be within that time. The normal weekly student contact teaching load in the middle school shall not exceed twenty-five (25) hours and twenty-five (25) minutes. The normal weekly student contact teaching load in the elementary schools shall not exceed twenty-five (25) hours and twenty-five (25) minutes. See Article 7(E). The criteria used to determine full-time equivalent (FTE) for special area teachers shall be based on the chart listed below as follows: A minimum of 21 hours to a maximum of 22 hours 1.00 20 hours .95 19 hours .90 18 hours .85 17 hours .80 16 hours .75 15 hours .70 14 hours .65 13 hours .60 12 hours .55 11 hours .50 10 hours .45 9 hours .40 8 hours .35 7 hours .30 6 hours .25 5 hours .20 4 hours .15 3 hours .10 2 hours .05 The scheduling of special area teachers will take into account that those teachers may have multiple buildings within their assignment. Whenever special area teachers travel between assigned buildings within the work day, their travel time shall be determined cooperatively between the involved teacher and the administration, but shall not be less than fifteen (15) minutes. Travel time shall be included in determining FTE. However, if travel time causes the teacher’s student contact hours to exceed 22 (i.e., 1.0 FTE), that travel time shall not be a basis for overload or additional compensation unless the teacher’s student contact hours otherwise exceed 25 hours and 25 minutes per week. E. To assure adequate teacher-parent/guardian communication, the parties have designated dates for teacher-parent/guardian conferences on the calendar. The scheduling of teacher-parent/guardian conferences may require that the professional hour’s limitation be exceeded during the weeks designated for said conferences. 1. The Board agrees to hire a substitute for a minimum of one (1) additional day each semester during the spring and fall parent/guardian conference schedule for all full-time kindergarten teachers. a. If the teacher(s) cannot reasonably schedule parent conferences for all of the students assigned to him/her, the teacher may, at his/her option, arrange for additional released time through the building principal. The building principal shall not unreasonably withhold approval of said additional released time. 2. At the elementary level, parent conferences will be scheduled on the dates designated for that purpose. When parents/guardians or teachers are unable to meet the specified conference dates, teachers will confer no later than December 16 of the first semester and April 16 of the second semester. 3. At the middle school and high school levels, parent/guardian conferences will be scheduled on the dates designated for that purpose, with the scheduled conference time not to exceed nine (9) hours per semester. When parent/guardians or teachers are unable to meet during the specified conference dates, teachers will provide an opportunity to confer during non- school hours up to one week before the completion of the grading period in which the specified conference dates occur. F. Full-time elementary teachers shall receive one hundred ninety (190) minutes of unscheduled time per week in blocks of not less than twenty (20) minutes. 1. Such unscheduled time shall be provided subsequent to the beginning of the students’ instructional day and prior to student dismissal. 2. Classroom teachers will not be required to supervise another teacher’s classroom in order to provide such time. 3. On weekdays when school is not in session, in whole or in part, unscheduled time need not be provided. 4. The Board and Association recognize elementary schedules may be infrequently altered to accommodate special activities which may cause the interruption of unscheduled time. Whenever reasonably possible, said unscheduled time will be provided at a later time. The administration and staff will work together to keep such cancellations at a minimum. 5. Staff and administration may, by mutual consent, schedule meetings during unscheduled time. 6. Elementary teachers employed one-half time or more will have unscheduled planning time prorated. Elementary teachers employed less than one-half time shall have no unscheduled planning time guaranteed. 7. Special area teachers shall receive one hundred ninety (190) minutes of unscheduled planning time per week in blocks of not less than twenty (20) minutes. Special area teachers employed less than full time will be accorded unassigned planning time. 8. Special area teachers who travel between levels during the day shall be granted one-half (½) day per semester release time to be used for records. Scheduling of the half day shall be done by mutual agreement between the building principal and the affected teacher. If necessary, additional days may be granted at the discretion of the Superintendent or designee. G. Teacher Professional Development time is included under Article 21.

Professional Hours. A. The teachers’ professional day shall be considered as those hours and activities required to perform their professional duties as they occur before, during, and/or after the student day. Normally, the teachers’ responsibility for being in their assigned building(s) shall not exceed thirty-one (31) hours a week. It is recognized by the Association that each teacher is expected to be punctual and regular in attendance for all assignments indicated in this Article. B. Teachers shall be present in their assigned buildings before, during, or after the student day at times scheduled for student contact, other scheduled student activities, office hours, consulting, advising, counseling, meeting with parents, consultants and other resource personnel, and team planning. No teacher shall be required to accept a regular schedule which allows for an uninterrupted lunch period of less than twenty-five (25) minutes. Lunch periods shall be scheduled within the period from thirty (30) minutes before the beginning to thirty (30) minutes after the end of the student lunch period unless agreed otherwise between the teacher and administration. No teacher shall be required to perform any breakfast, lunch, or food supervision duties. 1. Teachers who elect to leave their assigned building during their unscheduled hours shall give proper notice to the school office before their departure and immediately upon their return. 2. Teachers will be in their assigned building ten (10) minutes prior to their initial daily assignment and ten (10) minutes after their culminating assignment of the day. Teachers will be punctual and in all cases involving student groups will arrive appropriately before and depart appropriately after the students. 3. All teachers agree to attend IEP Team meetings, open house/curriculum night, parent/teacher conferences, and parent meetings. In all but emergency situations, teachers are to receive no less than seventy-two (72) hours notice of meetings. 4. At all levels, Tuesdays will be reserved for building staff meetings. Except in emergencies, no more than four (4) hours per month will be scheduled for these meetings. For months when parent conferences are scheduled the number of hours will be limited to two (2) hours. Examples of these meetings to be included in the four (4) hours per month are staff meetings, department/grade level meetings, Kindergarten roundup, Professional Learning Communities/Communities of Practice, on-line professional development, Spring IRIPS (Individual Reading Improvement Plans), and reproductive health. Teachers who travel between buildings shall be assigned to one (1) building for the purpose of attending staff meetings. Administrators will confer periodically with the traveling teachers. C. The Association recognizes the valuable contribution made to the educational program by the parent-teacher organizations and/or associations of East Lansing. All teachers, therefore, will make a reasonable effort to attend meetings as scheduled by these organizations or associations. D. The normal weekly student contact teaching load in the high school shall not exceed twenty-five (25) hours and twenty-five (25) minutes and all specially called group meetings, homeroom periods, and assemblies shall be within that time. The normal weekly student contact teaching load in the middle school shall not exceed twenty-five (25) hours and twenty-five (25) minutes. The normal weekly student contact teaching load in the elementary schools shall not exceed twenty-five (25) hours and twenty-five (25) minutes. See Article 7(E). The criteria used to determine full-time equivalent (FTE) for special area teachers shall be based on the chart listed below as follows: A minimum of 21 hours to a maximum of 22 hours 1.00 20 hours .95 19 hours .90 18 hours .85 17 hours .80 16 hours .75 15 hours .70 14 hours .65 13 hours .60 12 hours .55 11 hours .50 10 hours .45 9 hours .40 8 hours .35 7 hours .30 6 hours .25 5 hours .20 4 hours .15 3 hours .10 2 hours .05 The scheduling of special area teachers will take into account that those teachers may have multiple buildings within their assignment. Whenever special area teachers travel between assigned buildings within the work day, their travel time shall be determined cooperatively between the involved teacher and the administration, but shall not be less than fifteen (15) minutes. Travel time shall be included in determining FTE. However, if travel time causes the teacher’s student contact hours to exceed 22 (i.e., 1.0 FTE), that travel time shall not be a basis for overload or additional compensation unless the teacher’s student contact hours otherwise exceed 25 hours and 25 minutes per week. E. To ▇. ▇▇ assure adequate teacher-parent/guardian communication, the parties have designated dates for teacher-parent/guardian conferences on the calendar. The scheduling of teacher-parent/guardian conferences may require that the professional hour’s limitation be exceeded during the weeks designated for said conferences. 1. The Board agrees to hire a substitute for a minimum of one (1) additional day each semester during the spring and fall parent/guardian conference schedule for all full-time kindergarten teachers. a. If the teacher(s) cannot reasonably schedule parent conferences for all of the students assigned to him/her, the teacher may, at his/her option, arrange for additional released time through the building principal. The building principal shall not unreasonably withhold approval of said additional released time. 2. At the elementary level, parent conferences will be scheduled on the dates designated for that purpose. When parents/guardians or teachers are unable to meet the specified conference dates, teachers will confer no later than December 16 of the first semester and April 16 of the second semester. 3. At the middle school and high school levels, parent/guardian conferences will be scheduled on the dates designated for that purpose, with the scheduled conference time not to exceed nine (9) hours per semester. When parent/guardians or teachers are unable to meet during the specified conference dates, teachers will provide an opportunity to confer during non- school hours up to one week before the completion of the grading period in which the specified conference dates occur. F. Full-time elementary teachers shall receive one hundred ninety (190) minutes of unscheduled time per week in blocks of not less than twenty (20) minutes. 1. Such unscheduled time shall be provided subsequent to the beginning of the students’ instructional day and prior to student dismissal. 2. Classroom teachers will not be required to supervise another teacher’s classroom in order to provide such time. 3. On weekdays when school is not in session, in whole or in part, unscheduled time need not be provided. 4. The Board and Association recognize elementary schedules may be infrequently altered to accommodate special activities which may cause the interruption of unscheduled time. Whenever reasonably possible, said unscheduled time will be provided at a later time. The administration and staff will work together to keep such cancellations at a minimum. 5. Staff and administration may, by mutual consent, schedule meetings during unscheduled time. 6. Elementary teachers employed one-half time or more will have unscheduled planning time prorated. Elementary teachers employed less than one-half time shall have no unscheduled planning time guaranteed. 7. Special area teachers shall receive one hundred ninety (190) minutes of unscheduled planning time per week in blocks of not less than twenty (20) minutes. Special area teachers employed less than full time will be accorded unassigned planning time. 8. Special area teachers who travel between levels during the day shall be granted one-half (½) day per semester release time to be used for records. Scheduling of the half day shall be done by mutual agreement between the building principal and the affected teacher. If necessary, additional days may be granted at the discretion of the Superintendent or designee. G. Teacher Professional Development time is included under Article 21.