Article		Page
1	Recognition	1
2	Unit Members’ Rights	1
3	Association Rights	1
4	Grievance Procedure	2
5	Vacations	5
6	Work Year and School Calendar	6
7	Vacancies and Transfers	7
8	Short-Term Absences	7
9	Personnel Files and Unit Member Evaluation	12
10	Salaries	12
11	Insurance Protection	13
12	Sabbatical Leaves	14
13	Miscellaneous Provisions	15
14	Statutory Separability	17
15	Duration of Agreement	18
Schedule A-1	Salaries	19
Schedule A-2	Longevity	23

A. No Unit member shall be disciplined or reprimanded without just cause. Any such action taken by the Board, or agent of representative thereof, shall be subject to the grievance procedure within set forth.
a.) All disciplinary acts shall be subject to the grievance procedure. Any discipline to be imposed shall be determined on a case-by-case basis and shall take into account the nature of the offense, the length of service and general employment record of the employee, the number of previous offenses, any other mitigating circumstances, and previous discipline administered to others in similar situations. Discipline shall be applied in a non-discriminatory fashion.

1. Any party in interest may be represented at all stages of the grievance
procedure by himself, or at his option, by a representative of his own choosing.

A. Annual vacations for Unit members, based on length of service in the Pennsville School District shall be taken within the contract period at the discretion of the Superintendent of Schools. For unit members hired after July 1, 2003, vacation entitlement is based upon length of service as an administrator or supervisor in the District. Employees hired on or after July 1, 2006, shall be credited with vacation on the July 1^st following initial employment and then on July 1^st each year thereafter.

4. Article 8(A)(3) above does not include the use of sick leave for child rearing purposes. Use of sick leave for child rearing purposes is not permitted.

5. The Board’s family leave policies are incorporated by reference herein.

B. Death In Family

All employees covered by this agreement, in the event of death in the immediate family, shall be granted allowance with pay on scheduled workdays to attend the death bed or funeral as hereinafter stated:

1. An allowance up to five (5) workdays shall be granted in case of any of the following, with additional days granted at the discretion of the Superintendent.

a. Employees' parents, spouse (including civil union partner), children, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, and other persons residing as a member of the employee’s household.

b. Brothers and sisters of the employee and the parents of the employee’s spouse.

c. Legally adopted members of the family and step-relationships as outlined in a. and b.

2. An allowance up to three (3) workdays shall be granted in case of any of the following:

1. Requests for absence with pay to attend professional meetings or conferences shall be submitted to the Superintendent of Schools in writing and shall specify the nature of the meetings or conference, number of days absence requested. The decision of the Superintendent or the Board of Education with respect to the request for absence and any request for reimbursement of expenses shall be final. The grant or denial of such a request shall not be subject to the grievance and arbitration procedure set forth herein.

2. Unit members shall be entitled to the following temporary non-accumulative absences without suffering loss in pay, sick leave, or personal business days:

a. Time necessary for mediation or fact-finding hearings if held during the school day.
b. Time necessary for appearances in any legal proceedings connected with unit members employment or with the school system.

1. Any Unit member who has been employed by the Pennsville Board of Education for ten (10) or more years shall be eligible for payment for unused sick leave upon retirement.

Notice of retirement must be submitted to the Board of Education in writing by December 15th of the school year in which he/she intends to retire. The Unit member shall select a plan for payment of payment for unused sick leave in accordance with the provisions of Paragraphs 4. and 5. of this Section.

2. A Unit member on staff prior to July 1, 1997, shall receive one (1) day's salary for each four (4) days of accumulated sick and/or personal business leave earned prior to July 1, 1997 and shall receive one (1) day's salary for each five (5) days of accumulated sick and/or personal business leave earned on or after July 1, 1997 and which days exist on the final day of employment, up to the following maximums:

(all service is calculated as of the close of business on June 30, 1997)



20 years or more of service to the District	$30,000
12 years or more of service to the District	$25,000
8 years or more of service to the District	$20,000
On Staff prior to July 1, 1997, but less than 8 years of service	$15,000

1. No derogatory material shall be placed in a unit member’s personnel file unless it is signed by a responsible source and a unit member has had an opportunity to review such material. The unit member shall acknowledge that he/she has had an opportunity to review such material by affixing his/her signature to the copy to be filed with the express understanding that such signature in no way indicates his/her agreement with the contents thereof. The unit member will have the opportunity to provide a written response to the derogatory material. Any such written response from the unit member must be received by the Superintendent or his/her designee within five (5) school days of the unit member’s review of the material, and if received within that time frame, will be joined to the derogatory material and placed in the unit member’s personnel file.
2. A Unit member shall have the opportunity to review the contents of his/her file, except for pre-employment records, at times mutually convenient to the member and the Superintendent of Schools. A unit member shall have the right, upon request, to review the contents of his personnel file and to receive copies contained therein.
3. A Unit member has the right to reply to any document with a formal letter addressed to the Superintendent of Schools. This letter will be placed in the file.

4. A unit member shall be permitted to reproduce on the premises any information in his personnel file. The Superintendent of Schools or his designee shall supervise copying of information from personal files and the employee making such copies shall reimburse the Board in full for the cost of such copies at a per-copy price set by the Board. Employees may not have access to nor copy pre-employment references or related correspondence, placement bureau references, or other pre-employment information.
5. Any complaints regarding a unit member made to any member of the administration by any parent, student, or other person which are used in any manner in evaluating a unit member shall be promptly investigated and called to the attention of the unit member. The unit member shall be given an opportunity to respond to and/or rebut such complaint, and shall have the right to be represented by the Association at any meetings or conferences regarding such complaint.

1. The Board of Education shall provide health care insurance protection to Unit Members at the base plan and benefit levels of the AmeriHealth PPO 15 Plan and benefit levels that are equivalent to the benefit levels provided by that plan. Unit Members will contribute towards their health and prescription insurance premiums (as appropriate) consistent with the percentages required by Chapter 78, Public Laws 2011 for the duration of this Agreement.
2. The Board will provide full family dental insurance coverage with a limit not to exceed $575 per member. The employee cost will be calculated on a district-wide bargaining unit average basis, but if the total cost exceeds the Board's liability, the difference will be prorated among those members enrolled in specific plans which excessively exceed the Board's liability. The dental plan shall include a $25 annual deductible per individual and a $75 annual deductible per family. The per individual annual cap will be $1,500 and the orthodontia coverage maximum will be $1,000.
3. The parties agree that otherwise-eligible employees may voluntarily waive their entitlement to any or all insurances under Article 11, (1) and (2). Those employees who do so shall receive the lesser of six thousand dollars ($6,000) or thirty percent (30%) of the premium required to be paid by the Board each year. An employee who chooses to opt out of any or all insurance will have his/her payment reduced by what he/she would have been required to contribute but for his/her opt out of coverage. Though the employee’s payment will be reduced by this amount, the employee will not actually contribute any money toward such coverage to the extent it is waived.

4. The parties will implement a Section 125 account program in which employees may voluntarily make contributions to their own account. The foregoing is contingent on the parties agreeing on all the particulars, including proof that the plan is legal and that the plan imposes no additional costs on the Board. The employee may annually contribute up to the dollar maximum set forth in Federal law and regulation. At the time of enrollment the employee agrees to assume responsibility for all claims in excess of their deducted contributions. If a participating employee separates from the District prior to the end of the contribution year and makes claims in excess of the actual contribution he/she has made, the Board may recoup such excess claims first by withholding any compensation owed (for example, the last paycheck and/or payment for sick leave, or unused vacation compensation); and, second, by collecting directly from the employee the remaining difference between the claim and the actual employee contributions.

1. Unit members are encouraged to continue further training in duly accredited institutions.
a. The Board will pay full cost of tuition, textbook and other materials required for any courses, workshops, seminars, conferences, in-service training sessions or other such sessions, which a unit member is required and/or requested by the administration to take.

b. The Board will reimburse the full cost of tuition, registration fees, service fees and laboratory fees of an approved graduate course or other alternative. In order to be eligible for this reimbursement, the course or other alternative must be approved in advance by the Superintendent.
c. The foregoing reimbursement arrangement shall not cover courses required for certification purposes unless a change in field of certification is requested by the Superintendent, or the Superintendent, at his discretion, determines that regardless of whether such course is required for certification, the course will be of benefit to the District. Parking fees and fees of a similar nature shall not be reimbursable.
d. In order to be eligible for reimbursement for an approved graduate course or other alternative, an employee must receive at least a “B” in the approved graduate course or other alternative.
e. In order to be eligible for reimbursement for any other workshops, seminars, conferences, in-service training sessions or other such sessions, which a Unit member is required and/or requested by the administration to take, the Unit member must present documentation demonstrating successful completion of the workshops, seminars, conferences, in-service training sessions or other such sessions,

a. 1) tuition and registration fees for graduate courses taken by a Unit member provided that the courses taken by the Unit member are:

a) directly related to the assignment of the Unit member at the time the course is taken or,

b) a course which is approved by the duly accredited institution and is applicable to the Doctorate in education.

3) In order to be eligible for reimbursement a Unit member must receive at least a “B” in an approved graduate course.

b. The Superintendent may approve other professional activities of a worthwhile nature. Such approval must be in writing prior to the activity. Applications by Unit members shall indicate the activity, dates of the activity, location of the activity, the amount sought for said activity and the reasons which the Unit member believes such participation would be beneficial to the District.

c. Upon presentation of proof of membership, a Unit member may request to be reimbursed for membership in any of local, state, or national professional organization, such as the NJASA, NJPSA, NASSP or NAESP, ASCD, and SCAA as indicated in paragraph two (2) above.

C. Unit members will not be assigned or responsible for calling substitutes.

D. Whenever it becomes necessary because of an extended absence of a Unit member and another Unit member is directed by the Board of Education to assume the extra responsibilities of the absent Unit member, the other Unit member will receive a stipend of 5% of his/her yearly salary. The stipend will be paid only after the Unit member has served in the dual capacity for a period of thirty (30) consecutive school days.

E. Unit members who may be required to use their own cars in the performance of their duties shall be reimbursed for all such travel in accordance with applicable State law and Administrative regulations, as well as any circulars published by the New Jersey Department of the Treasury and any other applicable State directives.

F. Whenever any civil action has been or shall be brought against any member of the Association for any act or omission arising out of or in the course of performance of the duties of the member's employment, the Board shall defray all costs of defending such action and shall save harmless and protect such person from any financial loss resulting there from as required by statute.

G. Evaluations of Unit Member shall comply with all applicable State laws and Administrative Regulations.

Step	2020-21	Step	2021-22	Step	2022-23	Step	2023-24	Step	2024-25
1	106,000	1	107,000	1	108,000	1	109,000	1	115,000
2	108,000	2	109,000	2	111,000	2	112,600	2	113,500
3	109,000	3	110,500	3	112,500	3	113,000	3	115,000
4	111,000	4	113,000	4	115,000	4	117,000	4	117,450
5	113,000	5	115,000	5	116,000	5	117,500	5	119,000
6	115,000	6	116,000	6	118,000	6	119,500	6	121,500
7	117,000	7	119,000	7	120,000	7	121,500	7	122,500
8	118,000	8	120,000	8	122,000	8	123,000	8	124,000
9	119,000	9	121,000	9	123,000	9	125,000	9	125,500
10	121,600	10	122,000	10	123,500	10	125,500	10	126,000
11	124,000	11	124,700	11	125,000	11	126,000	11	128,000
12	127,000	12	127,500	12	128,312	12	129,000	12	130,000
13	128,100	13	128,200	13	131,000	13	131,920	13	132,000
14	131,500	14	131,600	14	131,900	14	133,000	14	135,957
15	135,100	15	135,200	15	135,300	15	135,400	15	137,000