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Bargainers clarify 15‑hour presence rule and flag class‑size/ESP policy mismatch
Summary
Teams debated what the contract's "up to 15 hours" requirement means in practice, added advance‑notice protections for required after‑hours assignments, and flagged a conflict between contract language on ESP support and current board policy; they agreed to involve the superintendent and policy committee to reconcile the discrepancy.
Negotiators spent significant time on the contract provision that allows administrators to require some after‑hours presence and caps such duties at 15 hours annually.
James and others said survey results show uneven application across buildings — some schools use the full 15 hours while others use much less. That unevenness prompted concerns about equity and about whether teachers could be penalized if administrators expected 15 hours but assignments were not offered. Bargainers sought clarity on whether the clause permits administrators to "require" attendance and what safeguards teachers would have.
To address those concerns, the teams agreed to add notice protections: administrators should assign scheduled after‑hours duties at least one week in advance whenever feasible; in rare circumstances where one‑week notice is impossible, "as much notice as possible" should be given; assignments posted less than two days ahead may be made as requests rather than requirements. The teams left the 15‑hour cap in place but added the advanced‑notice guardrails to reduce last‑minute compulsion fears.
Separately, delegates identified a mismatch between contract text that says classrooms that exceed grade‑level goals "shall be eligible for an overflow education support professional (ESP)" and a board policy that defines hourly ESP support per student over the cap and also notes that the superintendent may offer other solutions based on financial capacity. Bargainers agreed the superintendent and the policy committee should reconcile the two documents; for now the teams will not insert contradictory obligations into the master agreement.
