Cobb County School District Reduction In Force Process

Cobb County School District Reduction In Force Process 2010 -11

What Led to the RIF?

Principal’s Meeting April 29, 2010 Packet Contents • Power. Point Presentation • Surplus Position Worksheet • Q&A • Letters - Part-time ; Limited • Scripts - Part-time ; Limited • Notification Checklist • Benefits Information • Contact List

This process will have two distinct facets: (1) RIF (2)Reassignment HR will determine the specific teachers, based on level and/or subject area, who will be RIF’d based on District-wide seniority. Individual schools will not identify those teachers/employees. Supplements do not protect employees in a RIF.

After employees impacted by the RIF have been notified by May 15 th, there most likely will be a need to reassign individuals from one location to another. This part of the process will occur at a later date.

Principals Receive Allotment Sheets • • • Review Allotment Sheets Determine Subject Area Staffing Needs Identify : Grade/Position/Subject Area – Not People – That Must Be “Surplused” for 2010 -11

EXAMPLE (1) For 2009 -10, a high school needed 15 English positions to meet their staffing needs. For 2010 -11 (with the reduced allotment), that high school now only needs 12 English positions to meet their staffing needs. The high school will then have 3 English positions to be “surplused” for 2010 -11.

IMPORTANT Internal reassignments cannot be made at this time. Even if your employees hold other certifications, no internal reassignments can be made.

Rationale • We must be able to determine district-wide seniority by level and/or subject area. • Internal reassignments will prevent the appropriate identification of the least senior teacher in an identified “surplus” area. • Moving teachers into other subject areas could also potentially cause them to be moved into a “surplus” subject area position in which they would be subject to RIF. • Example: A middle school teacher currently teaching Language Arts who also holds science certification cannot be moved into a science position. A special education teacher cannot be moved into a math position.

• Once we determine the subject areas/positions that are to be “surplused”, the seniority of individuals will be determined based on their current teaching/job assignments. • If the individual teaches more than one subject, the primary subject area teaching assignment will be the one used to determine seniority. If he/she is 50/50, the last full day subject/job assignment will be used. • Part-time certified employees cannot be moved into full-time positions at this time.

On the Certified Position Surplus Worksheet ( Due Monday, May 3 rd) After looking at staffing needs, please list the surplus (overstaffed) positions you have identified for your school. List only one position per line. See examples on the following slides. SAMPLE OF FORM Certified Position Surplus Worksheet What certified positions (not people) are you Subject/Grade overstaffed for the 2010 -11 school year? (one per line) Example For Elementary : K-5/EIP ; PE Example For Middle: Math Example for High School: Science Example for SPED: General Curriculum (IRR)

Sample of Certified Position Worksheet ( Elementary) Subject/Grade (one per line) 1. K-5/EIP 2. K-5/EIP 3. Physical Education 4. Sped Ed – General Curriculum 5. Sped Ed – General Curriculum

While schools are identifying their surplus positions and completing the Worksheet, HR will be reviewing and rechecking their lists of current employees which have been sorted by hire date and by: Elementary -- Level and/or Subject (K-5/EIP; PE) Middle School – Level (MS) and Subject (MS-Math; FACS) High School -Level (HS)and Subject (HS – Science; Math) Special Education – Subject (General Curr. ; Adaptive) to insure that the names of part-time certified, limited contract, retiring, and resigning employees and employees with performance issues have been removed from the employee lists.

The completed Certified Position Surplus Sheet for each school will be due in HR by NOON on Monday, May 3 rd. Please fax to HR – 678. 594. 8580 Once the forms for all schools, divisions, and departments are received, HR will compile a list of identified surplus positions for elementary, middle school (by subject area), high school (by subject area), and special education.

After the lists of positions have been compiled, HR will then determine the total number of positions for RIF by: Elementary -- Level and/or Subject (K-5/EIP ; PE) Middle School - Level and Subject (MS --Math; FACS) High School -Level and Subject (HS – Science ; Business) Special Education – Subject (General Curr ; Adaptive)

If the number of positions identified for RIF in : Elementary -- Level and/or Subject (K-5/EIP; PE) Middle School - Level and Subject (MS-Math; FACS) High School -Level and Subject (HS –Science; Business) Special Education – Subject (General Curr ; Adaptive) is equal to or less than the numbers of employees (in the specific “surplus” areas) who have already identified as those leaving the District at the end of the school year (part-time, limited contract, performance, retirement, resignation), then no additional employees in that particular “surplus” area may be identified for RIF.

Specifically designated hire dates will be established for: Elementary Special Education Middle School High School Those teachers (in identified areas for surplus) whose hire dates are after the designated dates specific to those levels (elementary, middle, high) and/or subject area (Special Ed) will be non-renewed.

Let’s say, for example, that the upcoming school year is 2019 -20 and it has been determined that anyone (district-wide) hired in high schools after 8/4/2017 will be non-renewed. HR will review the list of high school teachers currently teaching in subject areas where surplus positions exist and identify the teachers with least district seniority who will be non-renewed for the 2019 -20 school year. See the English example on the next slide. Those in red font will be non-renewed. The process described will be used in all areas.

Name School Subject Hire Date Joe Smith Rex HS English 8/1/2013 H. Jones HS English 5/6/2013 B. Cloud Veterans HS English 8/3/2014 J. Kemp Skip HS English 8/1/2015 S. Long Bates HS English 1/5/2016 M. Sykes Vandy HS English 3/5/2016 J. Brown Wilhite HS English 9/7/2017 D. Hunt Phillips HS English 9/7/2017 B. Sorry Rex HS English 9/9/2017 I. Sears Vandy HS English 8/3/2018 V. Mitchel Jones HS English 1/9/2019 T. Long Rex HS English 2/5/2019 B. Kind Skip HS English 3/9/2019 NOTE: Those in red font will be nonrenewed.

Once HR has identified the specific teachers to be non-renewed, the Principals of those teachers will be notified. Scripts will be provided to assist with conferences with those individuals who are being non-renewed. In addition to the scripts, information regarding benefits, COBRA, unemployment, etc. , will be provided to give the employees.

IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND It is possible that there may be a situation where a school may not be losing a position and it may appear that the current staff will remain in tact. However, when surplus positions are reviewed district - wide and seniority is determined, a teacher in a particular subject area at that school , in fact, may be identified as having least district-wide seniority and may be RIF’d. The vacant position at the school will then be filled by an appropriately certified teacher , who has seniority, reassigned from another school.

Example Rex HS does not need to place an English position on the “surplus” position list. Jane Doe is one of the English teachers at Rex HS. When the district-wide list is compiled and reviewed by subject and hire date, it is determined that Jane Doe is one of the teachers with least district-wide seniority and subsequently will be among those teachers being non-renewed. That will leave a vacant English position at Rex. That vacant position will likely be filled by an English reassignee (who has district seniority) from another school.

Timeline April 29 May 3 -7 May 10 -12 May 13 May 24 May 26 TBD June-July Meeting with Principals Surplus Worksheet Due To HR HR Identifies Staff Reduction for the County Principals/Supervisors are notified of RIF’d employees in their school /division. Principal/Supervisor meets with RIF’d employee(s) using prepared script. Contracts/Letters delivered to schools Contracts/Letters given to staff Contracts Due To Secretaries Contracts Due to Central Office (Peggy Douglas) Reassignees Identified and Reassignment Meeting Held Competitive Rehires Competitive New Hires