Our professional hours are for, “…Activities such as MDT meetings, IEP meetings, grade level meetings, staff meetings, field trips/community access trips, open house functions, duties at other after school events, building site-development meetings, preparation of assigned state/federal reports, adaptation of instructional materials for specific student needs, collaborative preparation with certificated employees, building based activities or projects for implementation of action Plans, and professional development activities.” These are “optional” hours. (From Article 11.20 on page 7 of the Agreement) Professional hours are to be turned in on a monthly basis, on your time sheet, with a brief description of the activity.
2008-2010 Collective Bargaining Agreement
Do I need PRE-approval from my Principal or supervisor? No. Keep in mind, though, that the Principal will need to sign off on your time sheet to approve payment, thus approving the use when you do your time sheet. If your activities are not clearly one of those listed above---or if they have legitimate questions about whether you performed these activities---they may not want to sign off on your time sheet. Then we’d have a problem that we’d need to solve. To avoid such a dispute, NESPA suggests that you get pre-approval for any activities that you are unsure are covered, or are unusual. If you intend to use a big block of these hours for something, and know in advance, it’s probably best to discuss this with your Principal.
Can I be directed to use the hours for staff meetings or specific events? No, you cannot be directed to use these hours in any particular way. They are optional hours. You cannot be told how to use them. The uses for which you can choose to use them are described above. You cannot be scheduled for staff meetings, for example, and told you must come and use professional hours. However, we encourage you to collaborate with others at your school on the best ways to use hours that you are not using for your own work-related professional development. They are a resource to benefit our schools and students.
Can I use the “pool” of professional hours? In addition to our own professional hours, there is a pool of 1,650 hours (last year was 650 hours) for all 500 NESPA members to access when we have used up our own allotment. The can be used for the same purposes. Please keep in mind that these pool hours are not a way to increase our limited earnings, but are to be used considerately when our own professional hours run out. Many nurses, for example, use up their own allotment at IEP and MDT meetings before and after school, and may need access to these hours. NESPA leaders and Human Resources review the use of these hours every month, to ensure that no one is “hogging” them---that the NESPA membership as a whole is benefitting from them. See Article 11.30 on page 8.
To use the pool hours (only after your own hours have run out), put “pool hours” on your time sheet with a brief description of the activity. These must be turned in on a monthly basis. (NESPA members who are elected to their school’s Leadership Team may use pool hours for Leadership Team meetings held on non-work time---not their own allocation.)
