Special Education Teacher

Qualifications: Proper Illinois Licensure (LBS1) & Approved Program/Endorsements

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT

BETWEEN

THE CANTON UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT NO.66

BOARD OF EDUCATION

AND

THE CANTON EDUCATION ASSOCIATION/

IEA/NEA

2024-2027

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ARTICLE I. RECOGNITION .....................................................................................................1 II. ASSOCIATION RIGHTS ......................................................................................1 III. DEFINITION OF RESPONSIBILITIES ...............................................................3 IV. NEGOTIATIONS ...................................................................................................4 V. CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT .....................................................................4 VI. EVALUATION.....................................................................................................20 VII. EMPLOYEE DISCIPLINE/REPRIMAND/PERSONNEL FILE ........................22 VIII. GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE ..............................................................................22 IX. REDUCTION IN FORCE ....................................................................................25 X. INVOLUNTARY TRANSFER (TEACHER AND ESP), TEACHER ASSIGNMENT AND EXTRA DUTY ASSIGNMENT...................................... 27 XI. LEAVES ...............................................................................................................28 XII. INSURANCE ........................................................................................................38 XIII. BENEFITS ............................................................................................................40 XIV. COMPENSATION ...............................................................................................44 XV. EFFECT OF AGREEMENT ................................................................................59 XVI. DURATION OF AGREEMENT ..........................................................................60 APPENDIX D ..................................................................................................................61

ARTICLE I

RECOGNITION

A. The School Board recognizes the Canton Education Association-IEA-NEA or its duly appointed representative(s) as the exclusive and sole bargaining representative for All full-time and part-time certificated teachers, instructional coaches, nurses, maintenance technicians, custodial, grounds athletic custodians, bus mechanics, bus drivers, paraprofessionals, principal's helpers, bus monitors, secretaries, clerks, teacher assistants, reading aides, social workers, counselors, and tech specialists, and whose duties are not administrative or managerial in nature, hereinafter referred to as employees.

This does not include all substitute teachers, superintendent, assistant superintendent, curriculum director, special education director, athletic director, athletic trainer, principals, assistant principals, technology director, maintenance supervisor, custodian supervisor, transportation director, superintendent's secretary, assistant superintendent's secretary, accounts payable person, bookkeeper, and all managerial, supervisory, confidential, and short-term employees as defined by the Act.

B. The School Board agrees not to negotiate with any employees' organization other than the Association on matters contained herein during the duration of the Agreement.

C. The Association and the Board recognize the importance of communication in maintaining good relationships. Meetings with the administration will be held upon request at the mutually agreed upon time of the Association following reasonable written notice stating the term or items to be discussed at such meetings. 1. The Administration will notify the Association of the three (3) members chosen to attend such meetings. 2. The Association will designate not more than three (3) representatives to attend said meetings and will notify the Board's representative(s) in writing of their selection. 3. These meetings are not intended to bypass the grievance procedure. 4. Whenever possible, all meetings between the parties will be scheduled to take place when the employees involved are free from assigned responsibilities unless otherwise agreed.

ARTICLE II

ASSOCIATION RIGHTS

A. PROFESSIONAL DUES 1. The Canton Education Association will, submit authorization for dues deductions for those members requesting such deductions. The authorization will include whether it is an annual or continuing authorization. Thereafter, those continuing 1 members will not have to sign an annual authorization. The Association will annually specify the total dues amount per member. 2. The administration will, within ten (10) days of each payday, remit deductions to the Association. A list of employees from whom deductions have been made will be included with the remittance. 3. There will be twelve (12) consecutive deductions beginning no earlier than the second pay period in October. 4. Those employees who leave the District prior to the beginning of the second semester may, within (40) days prior notice, authorize a withdrawal. Association dues will be pro rata as agreed in the deduction payment schedule (1). 5. Continuing members must sign a withdrawal prior to October 15 to revoke a continuing authorization.

B. GENERAL RIGHTS 1. Names, addresses, experience, levels, and degree preparations of newly hired teachers will be provided to the Association following School Board approval of their contracts. 2. ESP Officer Shift Switch Association officers (Co-President, Co-Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Department Representatives) may be permitted to switch work shifts to attend Association meetings, to meet with the Administration or Board on problems, or to attend negotiations sessions. Insurance committee members will be allowed to alter their shift for insurance committee meetings. Such schedule shifts may be rejected in whole or in part for good cause by the Administration or Board. 3. The Association will have the right to use employees' mailboxes. Communications will be limited to official business of the Association. 4. The Local Association and its IEA/NEA representative will have the right to use the school buildings before and after the contract day, provided it does not interrupt normal school operations, and provided that when special custodial service is rendered, the School Board may make a reasonable charge therefore. Duly authorized representatives of the Association and their respective affiliates will have the right to transact official Association business on school property at all reasonable times before and after school, and duty-free lunch periods, provided that this will not interfere with or interrupt normal school operations. Further provided, no Association's views on matters relating to supervisor-teacher relationships will be discussed in the presence of students. 5. The School Board agrees to make available to the Association, in response to reasonable requests from time to time, all regularly and routinely prepared 2 information concerning the financial condition of the school district including, but not limited to, financial statements and adopted budget. In addition, the School Board and the administration will grant reasonable requests for any other readily available and pertinent information which may be relevant to negotiations. Nothing herein will require the central administrative staff to research and assemble information. 6. The Association will be provided with bulletin board space in each facility. Only authorized representatives of the Association will use bulletin boards for Association announcements. 7. The Association Co-Presidents will be given the Board agenda in his/her mailbox including any proposed changes in the Board Policy Manual affecting employees (which are available for the Board) on the Thursday preceding the Monday Board meeting. Representatives of the Association will be allowed to address the Board on any agenda item. 8. A copy of public Board Meeting minutes will be mailed to or placed in the mailbox of the Co-Presidents of the Association as soon as they have been approved by the Board.

ARTICLE III

DEFINITION OF RESPONSIBILITIES AND RIGHTS

A. The School Board, on its own behalf and on behalf of the electors of the School District, hereby retains and reserves unto itself all powers, rights, authority, duties, responsibilities, and obligations conferred upon and vested in it by the laws and the Constitution of the State of Illinois and of the United States. They shall not be required to bargain over matters of inherent managerial policy pursuant to IELRA.

B. No action of the Board or Administration will operate to directly or indirectly discourage or deprive an employee of any right covered by law.

The School Board hereby agrees that every employee will have the right to organize, join, and support the Association for the purpose of engaging in collective bargaining and/or negotiations.

Nothing herein will require any employee to be a member of, or participate in, the activities of the Association.

The School Board and the Association agree that they will not discriminate against any employee by reason of membership or non-membership in the Association, participation in collective bargaining, or the institution of any grievance, complaint, or provision under this agreement, nor will any provision of the Agreement be applied in a discriminatory or inconsistent fashion.

C. The term "good faith" is defined as the mutual responsibility of the School Board and the Association to deal with each other openly and fairly and in total, sincerely endeavor to reach agreement. It does not imply that either party concedes, compromise, or agree to any particular item. 3

ARTICLE IV

NEGOTIATIONS

A. The successor Agreement will be bargained pursuant to the provisions of the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act (P.A. 83-1014) however, bargaining shall begin no earlier than January 1 and no later than March 31 of the year this agreement expires except by mutual agreement.

B. The whole tentative agreement will be subject to ratification by the Association and the School Board and following ratification shall be signed by the parties. The Contract will be ready for reproduction within thirty (30) days after ratification and a final copy will be given to the Association Co-Presidents at that time. After reproduction, the Board will provide each employee with a digital copy of the Agreement. The cost of extra copies desired by the Association shall be borne by the Association.

C. NO STRIKE The association agrees that it will not authorize, sanction, condone, or acquiesce in, nor will any member of the Association take part in any strike, withholding services whole or part or work stoppage during the term of this Agreement.

The Board and the Association will follow the rules and regulations of the IELRA regarding picketing.

The Employer shall not engage in a lockout of bargaining unit members during the term of this agreement.

ARTICLE V

EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS

I. TEACHERS

A. The calendar will contain no more than the following: 1. Minimum state pupil attendance days (176). 2. No more than 4 institute days including: a. First day teacher workshop b. End of year record's day There will not be more than one hundred eighty (180) teacher attendance days required annually.

The Association will review and comment on the school calendar prior to its adoption. No 4 changes to the scheduled Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring Break will be made to the District's adopted calendar after July 1 of each school year.

B. WORKDAYS AND WORK HOURS 1. All teachers will be entitled to a duty-free uninterrupted lunch period each day as required in Sec. 24-9 of The School Code. 2. A teacher engaged during the school day in the hearing of any grievance or arbitration will be released from regular duties without loss of salary. If mutually deemed of benefit to the parties, teachers may be released with pay to negotiate a successor contract. 3. Each teacher working with the K-4 elementary and/or special education programs will be provided with a minimum of 225 minutes of individual preparation time, with at least four (4) thirty-five (35) consecutive-minute preparation periods during the regular student school day per week, with a goal of five (5) such periods per week. Additional individual preparation time beyond 35 minutes will be in blocks of time not less than 25 minutes which can include library time. A teacher may use for individual preparation all time during which his/her classes are receiving instruction from teaching specialists. A teacher will be compensated for each day, other than late start days, during which he or she does not have a 35 consecutive- minute preparation period according to the amount provided in Article XIV, paragraph I.E(1). On late start days, if preparation periods need to be reduced, preparation periods will be reduced by an equal number of minutes if possible. Sufficient time will be given to those teachers who must travel between buildings as a part of their assignment so that they may do so safely. Unless compensated, travel time and preparation time may be consecutive, but not concurrent. 4. Each 5-8 teacher's day will consist of instructional minutes totaling no more than 275 minutes, inclusive of TAP and Rtl instruction; one planning period; and supervisory assignment. Each 5-8 teacher will receive at least 200 minutes per week of individual planning time with at least 40 consecutive minutes each full teaching day. Any 5-8 grade teacher who voluntarily agrees to teach an additional class in lieu of the study hall or supervisory assignment, he or she will be paid a stipend of 1/24th of the base per semester. Any 5-8 grade teacher who teaches an additional class on a regular basis in lieu of a preparation time will be paid 1/12th of their actual position on the salary schedule per semester. b. TAP & TASK class shall have a combined total of no fewer than 40 minutes. The curriculum for TAP class will meet the social emotional needs of our students. d. IMS band instructor will not be required to have a supervisory duty. Band sectionals will be in lieu of a supervisory duty. This will not be paid as an overload. 5 j. If the music program decreases more than 15% (based on the previous 5 year average, excluding the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years), the scheduled will be opened up for bargaining. k. In the event of a change in schedule, CEA representatives will be included in the conversation to ensure a working schedule that will adequately meet the needs of the students and staff before the changes are implemented. l. In the event schedule changes are made to remove team planning time, TAP or ENCORE from the schedule, each 5-8 teacher's day will consist of a nine- period schedule, of no more than 50 minutes each period, consisting of six teaching periods, one individual planning period, one intervention period, and one study hall or supervisory period. The individual planning will consist of 40 consecutive minutes daily. i. The student attendance day will start no earlier than 8:05 and end no later than 3:07. ii. IMS band instructor will not be required to have a study hall. Band sectionals will be in lieu of a study hall. This will not be paid as an overload. If a teacher voluntarily agrees to teach an additional class in lieu of the study hall, he or she will be paid a stipend of 1/24th of the base per semester. Any 5-8 grade teacher teaching an additional class on a regular basis in lieu of an individual planning period will be paid 1/12th of their actual position on the salary schedule. m. Sufficient time will be given to those teachers who must travel between buildings as a part of their assignment so that they may do so safely. Unless compensated, travel time and preparation time may be consecutive, but not concurrent. 5. Each 9-12 teacher will be provided with individual preparation periods as herein specified. There shall be a eight period schedule, of no more than 50 minutes each period, consisting of five teaching periods, one intervention period, one preparation period and one study hall or supervisory assignment. If a teacher voluntarily agrees to teach an additional class in lieu of the study hall or supervisory assignment, he or she will be paid a stipend of 1/24th of the base per semester. Any 9-12th grade teacher who teaches an additional class on a regular basis in lieu of individual preparation time will be paid 1/12th of their actual position on the salary schedule per semester. a. CHS band instructor will not be required to have a supervisory duty. This will be in lieu of band sectionals. This will not be paid as an overload. 6 b. CHS driving instructor will not be required to have a supervisory duty. This will be in lieu of an extra hour of behind the wheel. This will not be paid as an overload. 6. Teachers in departmentalized situations shall meet, upon their request, with the Administration and the Department Chairperson to discuss class schedules for the upcoming year. 7. The normal work day for teachers will be 7-1/2 hours, inclusive of lunch. Unless otherwise arranged with the principal, a teacher's work day will begin at 8:00 a.m., and teachers will be free to leave the building at 3:30 p.m. On student attendance days preceding Christmas Break, Spring Break, and Thanksgiving Break, the teacher's day will end 10 minutes after the pupils are dismissed. 8. When the District's schools are closed to students due to acts of God or inclement weather, teachers shall not be required to report for duty. Notification of the delay to start school will be submitted for broadcast as soon as possible. When the start of school is delayed teachers shall make an attempt to arrive at the work site at the start of the contract day. On emergency early closings teachers shall be released as soon as students have safely vacated the premises. 9. Substitutes may be provided for all absent specialist teachers and non-pullout Title I teachers, unless unavailable. Substitutes may be provided when possible for Title I pullout teachers whenever the classroom teacher is not given a 24 hour notice that the specialist teacher is absent. 10. The Board shall not employ persons or services to perform work of bargaining unit teachers after the work day or in summer unless that work is offered to current teachers first. 11. No teacher will be required to perform bus duty. 12. A day will be provided to conduct annual reviews. Requests by teachers for release time to prepare IEPs will be directed to the building principal. The decision to allow release time will be made by the principal based on class size/workload, teacher schedule, and substitute availability. 13. Teachers will have discretion to use their individual planning time on educational related activities as they see fit. Teachers will not be compensated for loss of prep time as a result of weekly late start days, early dismissals, field trips, drills, assemblies or educational meetings. This excludes loss of prep time due to team meetings. 14. On PLC late starts, teachers will work with their teams on data collection, curriculum, and team collaboration. 15. No teacher will be required to report to the building during an elearning day. 7 C. CLASS SIZE 1. The parties agree that establishing and maintaining educationally desirable class size at all levels should be given the highest priority. 2. All subject area teachers will have an appropriate load based upon instructional methods, workstations available, and student safety. The number of students that can safely be taught in the assigned classroom will be determined by the building principal. 3. The Board will continue to consult with the Association with respect to ways and means of achieving acceptable limits. 4. If class size/student load becomes a concern to Middle and High School non- classroom personnel (i.e., P.E., Band, Counselors, Music, etc.), the administration will meet with the affected teachers upon request with the intent of seeking means to alleviate the size/overload problem. 5. The Board agrees that if the average class size in any building, grade level or department increases significantly and/or cannot be equitably distributed, then the Board shall bargain the impact of that increase with the Association.

D. SPECIAL EDUCATORS Pursuant to section 226.735 of the Illinois Administrative Code, Canton Union School District #66 will follow state guidelines for special education and follow the current practice of using class size, Illinois Administrative Code 226.730, as the definition for caseload for special educators that are teachers. Workload will be defined by state guidelines established in the Illinois Administrative Code 226.735a.

E. VOLUNTARY TRANSFER/REASSIGNMENT A certified staff member presently employed in the district who desires to be considered for a position within the district, shall present his/her request in writing. All current staff members certified for such a position and making application to fill a vacancy shall be give serious consideration, including an interview.

II. ESP

A. CLASSIFICATIONS 1. Groundskeeper Athletic Custodian (GAC) a. Full time GAC shall work five, 8 1/2 hour work days per week, inclusive of a half hour unpaid lunch which shall be uninterrupted except for emergencies. GACs may flex their work day to accommodate athletic schedule. b. All GACs shall be notified two weeks in advance of a permanent shift change. 8 c. A 10 minute break shall be allowed for each 4 consecutive hours of work. d. GACs called to return to work outside of his/her regularly scheduled shift shall be paid a minimum of two (2) hours at the appropriate rate except in cases involving an extension of regular hours. Compensatory time off in lieu of monetary overtime compensation shall no longer be provided after June 30, 2024, and all compensatory time off accrued prior to that date shall be used no later than December 31, 2024. e. The District shall purchase two (2) uniforms or items of equal value per employee per year for GAC employees, upon approval of the supervisor. f. Hours and shifts shall be determined by the employer. g. The district will provide training for all GACs for the task assigned to the category due to the redistribution of work previously assigned to maintenance. 2. Custodians a. Full time custodians shall work five, 8 1/2 hour work days per week, inclusive of a half hour unpaid lunch which shall be uninterrupted except for emergencies. b. All custodians shall be notified two weeks in advance of a permanent shift/building/ area change. c. A 10 minute break shall be allowed for each 4 consecutive hours of work. d. Any custodian called to return to work outside of his/her regularly scheduled shift shall be paid a minimum of two (2) hours at the appropriate rate except in cases involving an extension of regular hours. Compensatory time off in lieu of monetary overtime compensation shall no longer be provided after June 30, 2024, and all compensatory time off accrued prior to that date shall be used no later than December 31, 2024. e. Part-time custodians that are called back to work shall be paid their hourly rate of pay. f. Hours and shifts shall be determined by the employer. g. When a custodian or principal's helper is absent, bargaining unit members will be sought as substitutes before outside substitutes are hired; however, bargaining unit members may not be used if substituting would result in overtime. h. The district will provide training to all custodians for the task assigned to the category due to the redistribution of work previously assigned to maintenance. 9 i. Custodians shall be reimbursed for mileage incurred working between buildings after reporting to home building to begin the workday. Mileage must be logged monthly and submitted no later than the seventh calendar day of the following month. 3. Maintenance Technician a. Full time Maintenance Technicians shall work five, 8 1/2 hour work days per week, inclusive of a half hour unpaid lunch which shall be uninterrupted except for emergencies. Maintenance Technicians may flex their work day. b. All Maintenance Technicians shall be notified two weeks in advance of a permanent shift change. c. A 10 minute break shall be allowed for each 4 consecutive hours of work. d. Maintenance Technicians called to return to work outside of his/her regularly scheduled shift shall be paid a minimum of two (2) hours at the appropriate rate except in cases involving an extension of regular hours. Compensatory time off in lieu of monetary overtime compensation shall no longer be provided after June 30, 2024, and all compensatory time off accrued prior to that date shall be used no later than December 31, 2024. e. The District shall purchase two (2) uniforms or items of equal value per employee per year for Maintenance Technician employees, upon approval of the supervisor. f. Hours and shifts shall be determined by the employer. 4. Mechanics a. Full time mechanics shall work five, nine (9) hour days per week, inclusive of an hour unpaid lunch which shall be uninterrupted except for emergencies. b. Hours and shifts shall be determined by the employer. c. A 10 minute break shall be allowed for each 4 consecutive hours of worked d. Any mechanic called to return to work outside of his/her regularly scheduled shift shall be paid a minimum of two (2) hours at the appropriate rate except in cases involving an extension of regular hours. Compensatory time off in lieu of monetary overtime compensation shall no longer be provided after June 30, 2024, and all compensatory time off accrued prior to that date shall be used no later than December 31, 2024. e. All mechanics shall be notified two weeks in advance of a permanent shift change. 10 f. The District shall purchase two (2) uniforms or items of equal value per employee per year for Mechanic employees, upon approval of the supervisor. 5. Bus Drivers a. Regular bus drivers shall drive at least one daily route each day of student attendance. b. Routes and time shall be determined by the employer except that 2 run drivers shall not be reduced to one run unless pursuant to Article IX, Reduction in Force. c. Bus drivers shall be paid the regular hourly rate for each hour worked up to a maximum of three (3) hours for the year end bus cleanup (outside washing and inside sweeping/mopping as needed). d. The Early Childhood Special Education bus may be provided with a bus monitor and a monitor may be provided on any bus if requested by the driver and approved by the administration. e. Extra Trip: All extra trips will be posted on the trip board outside of the supervisor's office. These trips may include field trips, sporting events, music events or other trips that do not regularly occur from day to day. (1) At the beginning of each school year a rotation list will be created from the drivers who express interest in driving extra trips. The drivers will be listed by seniority. Rotations will be offered by seniority at the beginning of the school year. The extra trips will then be offered to the next senior driver as they are posted on the trip board. (2) Any driver added to the list after the start of the year will begin their rotation at the bottom of the list. (3) Driver trip assignments will be posted once each week. Known trips for the week will be sorted by the trips estimated length with the longest trip for each day listed first. The trips will then be offered/assigned for each day to available drivers in the order of the weekly rotational list. A 48-hour notification should precede any trip. If said notice is not given and the trip refused, a driver will not lose his/her place in rotation. After the refusal of a trip the next available driver in rotation (an available driver is a driver who is not making a run or trip for CUSD 66 at the time of the trip) will be assigned the trip. (4) It will be the responsibility of each driver to check the assignment board and notify the supervisor 24 hours in advance if they tum down a trip assignment. If drivers cannot drive their assigned trip due to illness or an emergency and less than 24 hours' notice is given the trip will be assigned at the discretion of the supervisor. 11 (5) Bus drivers who refuse all extra trips within a three-month calendar period shall be dropped from the rotation list for the remainder of the school year. (6) The Board shall not increase the number of coaches or employ new coaches for the sole purpose of driving to sports/activities. f. The employer shall make every effort to have the bus mechanic(s) available at the bus garage to respond to emergency situations or breakdowns during regular route times. g. At the beginning of the school year all regular extra duty assignments, including midday routes, shall be offered by seniority. All other extra work will be posted on a rotation basis by seniority. After a driver accepts or refuses a duty, the next on the list shall be offered the duty. When all drivers have had the opportunity to accept or refuse, the assignment rotation will return to the top of the seniority list. Duty assignments are on a yearly rotation and will start over each July 15. h. If the Sparks, Lewistown, Jacksonville, or Peoria routes are vacated during the school year, they shall be posted for bidding within 48 hours. Bidding will occur in order of seniority, with t