AND THE
ALPINE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
2004-2007

ALPINE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Preamble.................................................................... 1
1 Recognition................................................................. 1
2 Grievance Procedure...................................................... 1-4
3 Compensation.............................................................. 4-6
4 Insurance.................................................................... 6
5 Professional Development................................................ 7,8
6 Leaves....................................................................... 8-10
7 Board Rights............................................................... 10
8 Teacher's Rights........................................................... 10
r WorkDay/Work Year..................................................... 10,11
10 Miscellaneous Provisions................................................. 12
11 Duration of Agreement.................................................... 12




APPENDIX:
Negotiation Unit Grievance Form -
Schedule A - Salary Guide
Schedule B - Salary Guide
Schedule C - Salary Guide
Schedule D - Co-Curricular & Extra-Curricular Payments

WHEREAS, the BOARD hereby continues to recognize the ASSOCIATION as the negotiating and/or bargaining agent for the full and part time professional non-supervisory, non-administrative staff;

NOW, THEREFORE, the BOARD and ASSOCIATION agree on the terms and conditions of employment as set forth herein:

1. Grievance
A "grievance" is claim by a teacher or the Association based upon the interpretation, application, or violation of this Agreement, policies or administrative decisions affecting the terms and conditions of employment of a teacher or a group of teachers.

2. Aggrieved Person
An "aggrieved person" is the person or persons or the Association making the claim.

3. Party in Interest
A "party in interest" is the person or persons making the claim and any person including the Association or the Board, who might be required to take action or against whom action might be taken in order to resolve the claim.

The purpose of this procedure is to resolve, at the lowest possible level, disputes which may from time to time arise affecting the terms and conditions of employment of teachers. Both parties agree that these proceedings will be kept confidential at each level of the procedure.

1. Time Limits
The number of days indicated at each level shall be a maximum and every effort should be made to expedite the process. The time limits specified may, however, be extended by mutual agreement.

2. Year End Grievances
In the event a grievance is filed at such time that it cannot be processed through all the steps in this grievance procedure by the end of the school year, the time limits set forth herein may be reduced if mutually agreeable so that the grievance procedure may be exhausted prior to the end of the school year or as soon thereafter as is practical.

3. Level One
Any employee who has a grievance shall, within ten (10) school days after occurrence of the grievance, discuss it first with the Chief School Administrator in an attempt to resolve the matter informally at that level.

4. Level Two
If, as a result of the discussion, the matter is not resolved to the satisfaction of the employee, he shall set forth his complaint in writing to the Chief School Administrator within five (5) school days after the discussion. The Chief School Administrator shall notify the Association and the Board of Education of the grievance, and communicate his decision to the employee in writing within seven (7) school days of the receipt of the written complaint.

5. Level Three
Within five (5) school days of receiving the written decision or within seven (7) school days of when a written decision should have been rendered the aggrieved
employee may submit his/her grievance in writing to the Teacher-Board Committee.
TEACHER-BOARD COMMITTEE
1. Composition of Committee
A Teacher-Board Committee composed of two executive members, other than the grievant, designated by the local Education Association and two members of the Board of Education shall be created for the purpose of conducting professional discussion in good faith on grievances involving terms and conditions of employment as defined in Section A of this article.
2. Responsibilities and duties of the Teacher-Board Committee shall be to: a. Elect a chairperson;

b. Evaluate the problems presented to the committee;
c. Gather facts to provide for a complete understanding of these problems;
d. Discuss and attempt to arrive at a solution in keeping with the philosophies of
each organization;
e. Present conclusions and recommendations to the aggrieved and the Chief School Administrator.
6. Level Four
If the grievance is not settled by the Teacher-Board Committee, the employee, may, within five (5) school days after the Teacher-Board Committee's decision, request a review by the Board of Education. The employee will notify the Chief School Administrator and Education Association of the request. The Board shall review the grievance, hold a hearing with the employee if requested, and render a decision in writing within 30 calendar days after such written request.

1. Teacher and Association
Any aggrieved person may be represented at all stages of the grievance procedure by himself or, at his option, by representative(s) selected or approved by the Association. When a teacher is not represented by the Association, the Association shall have the right to be present and to state its views at all stages of the grievance procedure.

2. Reprisals
No reprisals of any kind shall be taken by the Board or by the Chief School Administrator against any party in interest, any representative, any member of the Association, or any other participant in the grievance procedure by reason of such participation.

1. Group Grievance
If, in the judgment of the Association, a grievance affects a group or class of teachers, the Association may discuss such grievance at Level One with the Chief School Administrator directly and the processing of such grievance shall be commenced. The
Association may process such a grievance through all levels of the Grievance Procedure even though the aggrieved person does not wish to do so.

2. Written Decisions

Decisions rendered shall be in writing setting forth the decision and the reasons therefore and shall be transmitted promptly to all parties in interest and to the Association.

3. Separate Grievance File
All documents, communications and records dealing with the processing of a grievance shall be filed in a separate grievance file and shall not be kept in the personnel file of any of the participants.

4. Forms
Forms for filing grievances, serving notices, taking appeals, making reports and
recommendations and other necessary documents shall be prepared jointly by the
Chief School Administrator and the Association and given appropriate distribution so
as to facilitate operation of the grievance procedure. (A form for filing grievances was
developed in the spring of 1986 and is attached hereto.)

5. Meetings and Hearings
To the extent permitted by law, all meetings and hearings under this procedure shall not be conducted in public and shall include such parties in interest, the person against whom the grievance is filed, and their designated or selected representatives, heretofore referred to in this Article.

ARTICLE 3 COMPENSATION

The salaries of all teaching staff members covered by this Agreement are set forth in Schedules A, B and C, which are attached hereto and made a part hereof.

The Co-Curricular and Extra-Curricular stipends are set forth in Schedule D, which is attached hereto and made a part hereof. One half of these payments will be made on January 30 and the other half on June 30, if the program extends over the school year.

C. Annual increments will be granted upon recommendation of the Chief School Administra-tor and approved by the Board.

D. In addition to the foregoing provisions for compensation, co-curricular and extra-curricular compensation shall be paid to those persons approved by the Board for the activities set forth in Schedule "D" annexed hereto and made a part hereof. The Board shall assign volunteers for the after-school sports/game supervision before it may assign available teachers on a rotating basis to said positions. Co-curricular and extra-curricular compensation shall be paid only if such activities are offered during the school year and occur above teachers' contractual time.

E. Full-time teachers are entitled to two (2) professional days yearly provided these are

approved by the Chief School Administrator and are directly related to the teacher's assignment. Part-time teachers are entitled to one (1) professional day per year on the same conditions.

All teachers are assigned to fall and spring evening meetings by the Chief School Administrator and are expected to be in attendance for two (2) hours and twenty (20) minutes between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.. As this is part of the professional obligation, there is no additional compensation for this.

Teachers who apply for, are qualified for and receive a pension payment from T.P.A.F.
and teachers who vest in the pension plan with twenty-five (25) years of service shall be
entitled to participate, at their own cost, in group medical insurance. An employee may
not participate if they are eligible for paid health insurance under T.P.A.F. and the State
Health Benefits Plan.

When teachers are called upon to participate in professional development programs outside the regular school day, or school year, they shall be compensated at a rate of pay proportionate to their regular teaching salary provided that such professional development activities are essential for the implementation of the assigned curriculum (such as University of Chicago Everyday Learning Math summer workshops for teachers instructing in math, review of lEP's for teachers assigned to special needs students).

All other workshops of a voluntary nature (such as curriculum development or enrichment) shall be compensated at the following rates:

This is exclusive of stipends for extra or co-curricular activities which are listed separately in Schedule "D".

equivalent thereof:

2004-2005 - $38
2005-2006 - $39

A "day" is defined as seven(7) hours, minus a lunch period. Payment shall be based on a voucher and paid monthly. If the "Teacher-in-Charge" loses preparation period to cover a class, he/she shall be covered by paragraph L below. The "Teacher-in-

Charge" will be responsible for the operation of the school in the absence of the Chief School Administrator.

Teachers will be reimbursed for assigned travel in their automobiles at the IRS rate in effect at the time of such travel.

L. When a teacher loses the one daily guaranteed assigned preparation period because she/he is assigned to cover a class, she/he shall be compensated at the following rates:

2004-2005 - $27 per period
2005-2006 - $28 per period
2006-2007 - $29 per period
ARTICLE 4
INSURANCE

1. The Board will pay one hundred percent (100%) of the premium for full family coverage under the Group Dental Insurance Plan for each tenured member of the professional staff who works a minimum of twenty (20) hours per week.

2. Effective on the first of the month which is at least sixty (60) days from mutual ratification of the contract, there shall be a dental waiver incentive plan. Each employee shall be polled by the Administration each year about whether he/she wishes to voluntarily waive such insurance for that insurance year. Any employee who so waives shall receive fifty percent (50%) of the applicable insurance premium as an incentive payment. Such payment shall be made at the close of the insurance year. When employees are polled about their interest in waiving insurance, they shall be informed of the incentive payment amount. Any employee who waives insurance in one year may re-enroll in the plan the following year.

B. To encourage members of the professional staff to take courses for the betterment of their teaching capabilities and for their increased value to the school district, the Board will make reimbursement for the tuition cost of such courses within the limits defined below:

1. Approval of Course Requirements
To be approved, the Chief School Administrator must first have determined that a course will enhance the value of the staff member of the school district and provided that:
(a) Staff members who hold only a Bachelor's degree must be in either an approved certificate or Master's degree program. Only one certificate program will be re-imbursed before the Master's degree.
(b) Staff members who hold a Master's degree need not be in a certificate or Master's degree program to obtain reimbursement.

2. Payment
(a) Tuition reimbursement shall be available as indicated in this Article to unit members after their first year of full or part-time experience in the district and for course work taken during the second and subsequent years of service. This means that someone starting in September of one year would be eligible for reimbursement for courses taken in the following summer.

(b) To be eligible for tuition reimbursement unit members must achieve a minimum grade of "B" or a "Pass" if the Chief School Administrator approves the taking of a course on a Pass/Fail basis.

(c) Tuition reimbursement for part-time employees shall be proportionate to the amount of time they work, i.e., half-time employees would receive half the re-imbursement that full-time teachers receive for the same number of credits.

(d) Proof of successful completion of the courses (as specified in paragraph 2 above)

shall be provided to the Chief School Administrator and endorsed by him before

reimbursement is made.


(e) Teachers will be reimbursed for approved course credits in accordance with the

following formula:

(1) The total maximum obligation of the Board for reimbursement of all staff members for up to six (6) credits per year shall be the following:
2004-2005 - $10,000
2005-2006 - $10,000
2006-2007 - $10,000
(2) The Board's reimbursement rate per credit shall be as follows:
2004-2005 - $323 per credit $970 for 3 credits
2005-2006 - TBD per credit TBD for 3 credits
2006-2007 - TBD per credit TBD for 3 credits





(3) If, at the end of each school year, the total amount of reimbursement sought





by all teachers for approved credits shall equal or exceed the maximum





obligation of the Board for the year, each teacher seeking reimbursement





shall be reimbursed per credit by pro-rating the cap for that year over the total number of credits for which reimbursement is sought.


(4) If at the end of each school year the total amount of reimbursement

apply for a share of the remaining portion of the Board allotment up to 9credits to be distributed in equal percentages as reimbursement for any classes taken before June 30 of that school year. In no event shall the total reimbursement exceed the annual Board tuition allotments specified above.


ARTICLE 6 LEAVES

Full-time teachers shall have twelve (12) sick days per school year, two (2) of which shall be non-cumulative. The unused portion of the remaining ten (10) may be carried over for use in following years.

Leave with pay for personal business which cannot be completed outside of the regular workday shall be granted to each teacher for up to three (3) days per school year. Such leave is non-cumulative.
. 1. Criteria for Personal Leave:
a. Personal leave is granted for matters limited to urgent legal, family or
personal matters which cannot be scheduled outside of school hours,

advance,

in-service day or a scheduled parent/teacher conference, or on days
immediately preceding or following a scheduled school recess,

personal matters).
e. The Chief School Administrator reviews and approves or disapproves all requests, f. In an emergency the Chief School Administrator may waive restrictions and authorize an emergency personal day.

Leave with pay following death in the "immediate family" (as hereinafter defined) shall
be granted for four (4) days following date of death. A three (3) day extension may be
granted at the sole discretion of the Chief School Administrator with no deduction for
substitute's pay. An additional extension may be granted at the sole discretion of the Chief
School Administrator provided that, during such additional extension, pay shall be at a
daily rate of 1/200th of the employee's annual salary less the substitute's daily rate
established by the Board.

Immediate family shall mean the teacher's spouse and the following relatives of the teacher or teacher's spouse: child, parent, brother, sister and grandparent, regardless of place of residence; and any other person who was a member of the teacher's household at the time of their death.

Leave with pay for one day shall be granted for death other than a member of the immediate family.

An extended leave of absence without pay of up to one (1) year may be granted for the purpose of caring for a sick member of a tenured teacher's "immediate family" as defined in paragraph (C). Requests for leave shall be for a minimum of the remainder of the school year or for the next entire school year. Unless required by law, no portion of the time spent on leave shall be counted toward fulfillment of any time requirements of seniority. Upon return from such leave, a teacher shall be reinstated to a position within his or her certification. Additional leave may be granted at the sole discretion of the Board.

An extended leave of absence without pay may be granted for personal reasons for a minimum of a school year. Once granted the employee can request an extension for an

additional year. The granting of such requests will not be automatic but at the discretion of the Board. Staff members on Extended Personal Leave Without Pay may continue benefits at their expense at the group rate pursuant to the rules and regulations of the governing agency.



ARTICLE 7 BOARD RIGHTS

and reserves unto itself, without limitation, all the powers, rights, authority, duties and

responsibilities conferred upon and vested in it by the Law and Constitution of the State of

New Jersey and of the United States, by the decision of the courts of the United States and of

the State of New Jersey, the Commissioner of Education and the State Board of Education of

the State of New Jersey and by the Rules and Regulations of the State Board of Education and

the State of New Jersey.

The willingness of the Board to discuss matters which are within the sole prerogative of the Board shall not be deemed to constitute a waiver or relinquishment of any such prerogative.

The teachers in-school work year shall begin no earlier than September 1and end no later than June 30th. It shall consist of the following:

-3 Professional days to be scheduled by Chief School Administrator.

A full-time teacher's work day shall begin at 8:20 a.m. and continue to 3:20 p.m. (7hours) with a duty-free lunch equal to that of the students. If unusual circumstances should arise, the Association recognizes that the Board may, after consultation with the Association, alter these hours on a temporary basis.

Teachers who agree to work outside of this contractual time will receive adequate notification. A waiver will be agreed to by the Association.
The teachers' regularly scheduled classes shall begin no earlier than 8:30am and shall not extend beyond 3:00pm. However, the teachers' work day shall begin at 8:20 am and end at 3:20 pm.

D. Each teacher shall have a duty-free lunch period of the same length as the lunch period for

students. The Board recognizes that no changes shall be made in the

lunch period as it affects the teacher duty-free lunch unless first negotiated with the

Association.

E. Each full-time classroom teacher shall have thirty (30) minutes of preparation time daily. Part-time teachers shall receive the equivalent of fifteen (15) minutes preparation time daily. This fifteen (15) minutes equivalent may be assigned on a weekly basis as opposed to a daily basis. That is, a teacher working three (3) periods per day each day would be entitled to seventy-five (75) minutes of preparation time during the week. For teachers

working full days but part-time, a minimum of fifteen (15) minutes would be scheduled
for preparation daily.

Furthermore, assignments to lunch supervisory duties will be designed to maintain the

continuity. The Board agrees to make every reasonable effort to assign a single teacher to

the continuing daily assignment of overseeing and expediting lunch supervision. Addition-al teachers assigned to lunch supervision will be assigned on a regular basis, i.e., every

Monday, or every Monday and Tuesday, or every Tuesday, etc. It is understood that

whenever possible staff will be rotated annually in this assignment.

H. Full-time teachers shall sign in by initialing the sign-on the board no later than 8:20 a.m. Full-

time teachers staying beyond 3:20 p.m. do not have to sign out when leaving for the day.

Teachers whose work day starts after and ends before the regular work day shall sign in

and sign out by indicating their time of arrival and departure.

ARTICLE 10
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

B. Posting of New Positions and Vacancies

New positions requiring certificates and teacher vacancies will be posted in the teachers' lounge before advertised publicly.

The parties agree to enter into collective negotiations for a Successor Agreement in accordance with Chapter 303, Public Laws of 1968, as amended by Chapter 123 of Public Laws of 1975 in a good-faith effort to reach an agreement on all matters concerning the terms and conditions of the teachers' employment. Such negotiations shall begin not later than the time required by statute and code. Any agreement to be negotiated shall apply to all teachers (as defined in Article 1) be reduced to writing, be adopted by the Board and by the Association and be signed by their duly-authorized representative.

E Resignation/Reduction in Force of Tenured Unit Members

A tenured unit member may resign his/her position provided he/she gives the board of education written notice at least sixty (60)days in advance of the anticipated last day of service.

The board of education will give at least sixty (60) days written notice of termination of employment to any tenured unit member who is affected by a reduction in force during the school year. Terms of resignation of non-tenured unit members are covered by individual employee contracts.

ARTICLE 11 DURATION OF AGREEMENT

Attest: Board of Education of the Borough Alpine, New Jersey

_________________________________ By___________________________________________________

President

Attest: Alpine Education Association

2. Date of grievance submitted to CSA_

3. Specific language and section of the Agreement, Board Policy or Administrative Decision Alleged to have been misinterpreted, misapplied, or violated.

4. A description or explanation of the action that caused the misinterpretation, misapplication or violation (include date of occurrence and who was involved).

5. Specify who was grieved (individual or association or both).

6. Indicate the desired remedy.

Signature of person filing grievance (same as in #1)

Signature Date

Response of CSA:

Signature_____________________ _______

Date

2. Date of grievance submitted to CSA

3. Specific language and section of the Agreement, Board Policy or Administrative Decision Alleged to have been misinterpreted, misapplied, or violated.

4. A description or explanation of the action that caused the misinterpretation, misapplication or violation (include date of occurrence and who was involved).

5. Specify who was grieved (individual or association or both).

6. Indicate the desired remedy.

Signature of person filing grievance (same as in #1)

Signature Date

Response of CSA:

Signature_____________________ _______

Date