The BOARD OF EDUCATION and the ASSOCIATION endeavor to promote relationships that are conducive to building a sound school system. In line with this attitude, they believe that all employees are entitled to have their grievances investigated and resolved through established channels. Satisfactory settlement of grievances contributes to increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the employee, to the advantage of the students and the school system.

It is essential that definite procedures be established and followed for the presentation and solution of grievances. The Superintendent of Schools shall develop these procedures by:

a. Making provision for the employees to direct communication with the person responsible for the alleged grievance.

b. Assuring that the channels of communication are open without fear of reprisal.

c. Providing for the use of representation by the employee in the procedure.

a. A grievance is an appeal of the interpretation, application, or violation of policies, agreements and administrative decisions affecting an employee or group of employees as it concerns terms and conditions of employment.

b. Any grievance based on administrative decision or Board policy and affecting terms and conditions of employment shall be appealable no further than the BOARD OF EDUCATION. Only a grievance based on the language of this contract as it affects terms and conditions of employment shall be appealable to arbitration.

a. All grievances are to be filed at the lowest appropriate level. For the purpose of this Agreement, the lowest appropriate level shall be the level at which the grievance was created or the level that has the authority to resolve the grievance. If Level Two is deemed to be the lowest appropriate level, a photocopy of the grievance shall be given to the building principal, if the grievance is filed on the behalf of a single grievant, or to all district administrators, if the grievance is filed on behalf of the employee(s).

b. Level One
Should Level One be deemed to be the lowest appropriate level, the formal grievance shall be submitted to the building principal. The building principal shall render a decision and return the grievance to the Association Chairperson for the Professional Rights and Responsibilities Committee, with a courtesy photocopy to the Association President and the Superintendent within ten (10) calendar days, excluding school holidays, of receipt of the grievance.

c. Level Two
Should Level Two be deemed to be the lowest appropriate level, the formal grievance shall be submitted to the Superintendent of Schools; or, if the grievance has passed through Level One and has not been resolved to the grievant’s satisfaction, it shall be presented to the Superintendent within ten (10) calendar days, excluding school holidays, of being returned to the ASSOCIATION. In either case, the Superintendent shall render his decision and return the grievance to the Association Chairperson of the Professional Rights and Responsibilities Committee, with a courtesy photocopy to the Association President within ten (10) calendar days, excluding school holidays.

d. Level Three
If the aggrieved is not satisfied with the Superintendent’s decision, the aggrieved and his representative may file through the Superintendent’s Office, within ten (10) school days after receiving the Superintendent’s decision, an appeal, in writing to the BOARD OF EDUCATION. It shall be the duty of the Superintendent to notify the BOARD OF EDUCATION of the receipt of such a written appeal. The BOARD OF EDUCATION shall meet with the parties of interest within twenty five (25) calendar days of receiving the written appeal at a mutually acceptable time and place in Executive Session, in order to hear the merits of the case. The aggrieved party has the right to the merits of the case. The aggrieved party has the right to counsel, representation, and witnesses on their behalf. The decision made by the BOARD OF EDUCATION shall be communicated to the respective parties in writing within forty (40) calendar days of the hearing.

The grievant must notify the BOARD OF EDUCATION within twenty (20) calendar days, excluding school holidays, of receiving the BOARD OF EDUCATION’S decision of its intention to appeal said decision to arbitration. If the grievant does not do so within 20 calendar days, excluding school holidays, the grievance is considered automatically resolved based on the decision rendered by the BOARD OF EDUCATION.

e. If a resolution of the grievance is not achieved at the BOARD OF EDUCATION level, an arbitrator may be selected from a list supplied by the New Jersey Public Employees Relations Commission. The cost of such an arbitrator shall be shared by both parties. The decision handed down by such arbitrator shall be binding for all employees.

It shall be the duty of the Superintendent of Schools and the ASSOCIATION to maintain a complete file of written grievances. Such file shall not become a part of the aggrieved’s personnel file.

One half of the first in-service day for a new school year shall be utilized for the purpose of room preparation.

Members of the Child Study Team will work five (5) days in addition to those listed above and will be compensated at a rate equal to their per diem rate of pay. The scheduling of these days will be mutually agreed upon between the staff member and the Director of Special Services.

Teachers who are responsible for preparing their classrooms for orientation programs prior to the first day of school will be compensated for the 6.75 hours they are using to set up their room at the negotiated hourly rate.

· 10 Months
· 10½ Months
· 12 Months

Employees contracted for a 12-month basis will be entitled to the following holidays and will not be required to report to work.

New Year’s Day Fourth of July
Martin Luther King Day Labor Day
President’s Day Thanksgiving Day
Good Friday Christmas Day
Memorial Day

1 – 5 years 10 days vacation
6 – 10 years 14 days vacation
11 – 15 years 16 days vacation
16 – 19 years 17 days vacation
20+ years 20 days vacation

All accrued vacation time will become available for request on July 1^st for the following school year. In order to receive credit for one year’s employment, the staff member must have worked at least six (6) months. A month is defined as working 50% or more. For those staff members hired during the course of the school year, the number of vacation days available will be prorated based on the number of months worked.

All 12-month employees must use their allotted vacation time each year as outlined above. At least one week of vacation must be taken as continuous days.

Unused vacation days which result in an employee exceeding the allowable number of banked days on June 30^th of any given year will be forfeited.

Part-time 12-month employees who become full time shall have vacation time converted to their full time equivalency on a direct prorated basis.

When an employee’s status moves from a 10-month to 12-month position, accrued vacation will be determined according to the total number of months worked divided by twelve. This will be converted to years of service and the employee will then be eligible for that number of vacation days at the start of the first year of their contract as a 12-month employee.

As professionals, teachers are expected to devote to their assignments the time necessary to meet their responsibilities. They shall log in and log out, but are not required to designate hours and minutes.

a. The arrival and departure times for all classroom teachers shall be designated in Subsection B. However, their total in-school work day shall consist of not more than seven (7) hours and fifteen (15) minutes, which shall include a duty-free lunch period as set forth under Section 4 of this Article.

b. No teacher shall be required to report for duty earlier than fifteen (15) minutes before the opening of the pupils’ school day.

c. Days before holidays which exceed one (1) day (Thanksgiving, Winter Break and Spring Break) shall be early dismissal days. Teachers may leave after the close of the pupils’ day providing that their students are safely out of their classroom.

d. On Fridays or days when teachers return in the evening for school functions, teachers may leave after the close of the pupils’ day providing that their students are safely out of their classroom.

e. On in-service days, no presentation will begin before 8:30 a.m.

a. The daily teaching hours in the elementary schools shall not exceed five (5) hours, forty-five (45) minutes of pupil contact.

b. Section 7.3(a) does in no way impinge upon or prohibit an individual from volunteering or accepting any other activities connected with or concerning pupil contact within the school system which exceeds the daily teaching hours.

c. Teacher preparation time shall be defined as non-student contact time between the required time that a teacher reports to work and departs, except for a duty-free 35-minute lunch period which shall not count toward preparation time. A minimum of 210 minutes of preparation time during a normal work week shall be provided. This time should be utilized for instructional planning and preparation; either individually or in the context of a Professional Learning Community, or
in grade level/special area pairs. A normal workweek is defined as any week consisting of five (5) full session days in addition to a guaranteed lunch period.

Part-time teachers will receive prorated release time which will be determined by dividing their contracted hours by 7.25 (number of hours for a full-time teacher) and multiplying this result by 210 (number of minutes of release time for a full-time teacher). This will be the minimum number of hours that the part-time teacher will be provided of release time.

d. Release time will be provided for Special Education staff. Special Education teachers who have five (5) to nine (9) complete IEPs will be provided one (1) full day of release time. Special Education teachers who have ten (10) or more complete IEPs will be provided two (2) full days of release time. Writing of two (2) partial IEPs equals one complete IEP.

These requests will be presented to the appropriate building principal who will make arrangements for the agreed upon release time.

a. Teachers who teach more than four and three quarter (4¾) hours per school day shall have a duty-free lunch period of at least 35 minutes.

b. Teachers may leave the building during their scheduled duty-free lunch period without requesting permission, but must notify the building principal’s office upon leaving and returning.

c. Teachers who are assigned to more than one building per day shall be granted a thirty (30) minute period of time between teaching assignments for the purpose of travel and classroom preparations. This time is in addition to a duty-free lunch period.

a. All reasonable efforts will be made by the administration and the BOARD OF EDUCATION to relieve teachers of before-school, lunchtime, after-school playground duties and bus loading duties.

b. On early dismissal days, teachers of art, music, physical education and multimedia who travel will continue to do so provided they do not have more than seven (7) class assignments on the affected days. On these days, classes will meet for twenty-five (25) minute sessions with sufficient travel time included in the schedule. Should any of these teachers have more than seven (7) assignments on early dismissal days, they will alternate schools.

c. All full-time teachers will be required to attend up to two (2) meetings per month that will not exceed one (1) hour after student dismissal.

Five (5) school days notice shall be provided for any meeting expected to extend beyond the regular contracted work day. In the case of regularly scheduled building faculty meetings, notice setting meeting dates may be published once at the start of the school year. Advance notification of 48 hours minimum for rescheduling of the meeting shall be provided. Attendance at rescheduled meetings may be excused with approval of supervisor.

d. A teacher shall be reimbursed for required supervision of students approved by Board action beyond the school day. The rate shall be $38.00 per hour for the duration of the contract. Reimbursement for extra time will be made in 15 minute increments.

e. Teachers shall attend the one (1) annual Back-to-School Night at the appropriate building. Required attendance at additional Back-to-School nights shall be paid at the rate set forth in 7.5(d) above.

f. Professional, certificated staff members may be required to make one (1) professional presentation to the Board per year without additional pay. If they are asked to make more than one (1) presentation, they will be compensated for one (1) hour at the rate of $38.00 per hour.

g. The BOARD OF EDUCATION agrees to pay $25.00 per hour for required room changes necessitating such work outside of regular contractual day and/or calendar year as outlined for sixteen (16) hours. There must be a prior request made to the appropriate administrator and approval given before such work commences.

h. The Board of Education agrees to pay $20.00 per hour to teachers who attend evening meetings of the District Advisory Council and/or School-Based Planning Teams.

i. During the week of parent/teacher conferences, teachers shall return on one evening for the purpose of meeting with parents. Teachers with scheduled evening conferences are permitted to leave at the end of the pupil day. In the event that a teacher chooses to schedule evening conferences beyond the two hours allotted by the district, they shall be compensated for one additional hour at the contractual rate of pay.

In the event a teacher receives no requests for evening conferences, the teacher shall not be required to return for evening conferences and shall leave at the end of the normal contractual day.

Part-time teachers who elect to participate in a parent conference that extends beyond their contracted work day must have the additional time approved by the appropriate principal. If approved, these teachers will be compensated at the rate of $38.00 per hour.

All teachers who supervise approved field trips that extend beyond the regular contractual school day shall be compensated at the rate of $38.00 per hour for the duration of the contract.

The BOARD OF EDUCATION and the ASSOCIATION hereby agree to the payment schedule below for teachers who serve as mentors to first year teachers.

Mentor teachers shall be paid at the rate set forth by the New Jersey Department of Education.

For the beginning provisional teacher being mentored, a payroll deduction will be established equal to the amount needed to reimburse the mentor.

a. All paraprofessionals employed as of September 1, 2017 shall be contracted for 5.95 hours per day with a 30-minute unpaid lunch.

b. Full time secretaries will be defined as those secretaries who work an eight (8) hour day. The starting and ending times will be determined by the Board of Education. All full-time secretarial staff will be provided ten (10) days’ notice of any changes in working hours.

c. Part-time secretaries will be defined as those secretaries who work less than an eight (8) hour day. The starting and ending times will be determined by the Board of Education. All part-time secretarial staff will be provided ten (10) days’ notice of any changes in working hours.

d. Part-time secretaries who work less than 4¾ hours will be provided a fifteen (15) minute break at a time determined by the appropriate supervisor.

e. The work day for all Basic Skills Teacher Assistants and Paraprofessionals will be determined by the Board of Education.

f. Basic Skills Teacher Assistants will be contracted to work 5.95 hours per day and shall be provided an unpaid duty-free lunch period of at least thirty (30) minutes.

a. Paraprofessionals who work more than 4¾ hours per school day shall have a thirty (30) minute duty-free lunch break each day.

b. Full-time secretaries will be provided a forty-five (45) minute duty-free lunch and a fifteen (15) minute break either in the morning or in the afternoon as determined by the appropriate supervisor.

a. Paraprofessionals who are contracted for 5.95 hours per day shall be provided an unpaid duty-free lunch period of at least thirty (30) minutes.

b. Paraprofessionals who are employed as part of the Extended School Year program shall be compensated at the hourly rate of $18.00.

a. Days before holidays which exceed one (1) day (Thanksgiving, Winter Break and Spring Break) shall be early dismissal days. Secretaries may be dismissed at 2:00 p.m. on these days once all students are safely transported home.

Employees shall immediately report to their immediate supervisor cases of assault upon pupils.

Such notification shall be immediately forwarded to the Superintendent by the building principal or immediate supervisor who shall comply with any reasonable request from the employee for any information in the possession of the Superintendent relating to the incident or the persons involved and shall act in appropriate ways as liaison between the employee, the police and the courts.

For the purpose of this Article, the following types of leaves shall be recognized:

Sick Leave Compassionate Leave
Personal Leave Involuntary Leave
Maternity Leave Professional Leave
Sabbatical Leave Paternity Leave

a. All staff members employed shall be entitled to eleven (11) sick leave days, with pay, each school year as of the first official day of said school year, whether or not they report for duty on that day. One (1) of the allotted 11 sick days may be used for family illness. Sick leave for all staff members who are not contracted for the total number of days will be prorated as follows:

Contracted Days per Week Sick Days per Year
4 9
3 6.5
2 4.5
1 2

All employees who begin employment after September 30^th will be entitled to sick leave on a prorated basis.

Unused sick leave shall be accumulated from year to year with no maximum limit. Sick leave shall be defined by New Jersey Statutes with the following permissive change:

All employees who are absent from their duties for three (3) or more consecutive work days will be required to submit to the Secretary of the BOARD OF EDUCATION a certificate from a physician stating the reason of such absence.

Staff members who do not report to work on an in-service day due to illness must provide a doctor’s note to the Superintendent’s Office within three (3) days of returning to work.

Sick time will be prorated if a staff member is on a leave of absence.

Convalescence must be a continuity of the illness.

Catastrophic leave will be available in accordance with the provisions of 18A:30-6 when sick leave is exhausted and shall be administered on an individual basis, i.e., 1/200th of annual salary minus the cost of the substitute. The Board of Education reserves the right to determine if catastrophic leave will be granted and, if so, the length of time to be approved.

b. The BOARD OF EDUCATION shall reimburse retiring teachers for unused sick leave at the rate of $65.00 per day up to a maximum $7,800. (120 days) for the duration of the contract. Sick leave reimbursement for secretaries, paraprofessionals and Basic Skills Teacher Assistants will be $45.00 per day up to a maximum of $5,400. (120 days) for the duration of the contract. Notice of said retirement must be given by December 1^st in order to receive payment in the following year.

All staff members must attain ten (10) consecutive years of service in the district in order to be eligible for any retirement reimbursement.

Should the employee die before retirement, after having given formal retirement notification, the accrued entitlement will be paid to the beneficiary or to the employee’s estate, as appropriate.

c. Whenever an employee is absent due to illness, injury, or other disability requiring an extended period of absence and an anticipated date for returning to work cannot be estimated, the individual must notify the Superintendent thirty (30) days in advance of the anticipated date of return or as soon as it has been projected by the attending physician. Once this has been established, the employee must then notify the Superintendent five (5) work days in advance of the actual return date to confirm the return.

In such cases, reassignment will be subject to available positions in the area of certification and/or experience based upon the Superintendent’s recommendation. Should an appropriate position not be available, the returning employee shall serve as a substitute until the Superintendent can make an appropriate recommendation.

d. Any employee who is on a board-approved leave of absence (either paid or unpaid) for an entire school year (July 1^st through June 30^th) will not accrue sick or personal time.

e. Any employee who transfers from one full-time position to another full-time position shall maintain their accumulated sick time. Any employee who transfers from one part-time position to another part-time position shall maintain their accumulated sick time. Any employee who moves from a part-time position to a full-time position shall have their accumulated sick time prorated based on the number of hours they were contracted prior to becoming full-time (i.e. if an employee was contracted for four hours per day before becoming full-time, his/her accumulated sick leave will be multiplied by 4/8 or ½ to determine the number of accumulated sick days as a full-time employee).

All employees who transferred from a part-time position to a full-time position prior to July 1, 2012 will not have their accumulated sick leave prorated. Appropriate adjustments in accumulated sick leave for these individuals will become effective on July 1, 2012.

Note: These sick leave days will be available to the appropriate staff members to be used as necessary while employed, but will not be counted as sick leave for reimbursement purposes.

Leaves of absence shall be granted by the Superintendent, with pay, to an employee for a death in the immediate family. The number of days per year shall not be defined, but the maximum number of days per any one crisis shall not exceed five (5).

The immediate family shall be considered as: father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, spouse, child, brother, sister, grandchild, mother-in-law, father-in-law, stepparent, stepchild and domestic partner.

A leave of three (3) days shall be granted with the same stipulations as above in the event of a death of a sister-in-law, brother-in-law, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, grandparent-in-law or any other person with assumed comparable roles.

One (1) day leave shall be granted with the same stipulations as above in the event of a death of any other relative or any other person domiciled in the employee’s household. There shall be no deduction of pay or sick leave.

Compassionate Leave must be taken following the person’s death and prior to the remembrance services, the day of the services, or within seven (7) days following the services.

a. Staff members shall receive a maximum of four (4) personal leave days with pay per school year. No more than seven (7) teachers in the entire district shall be eligible for personal leave on any given day. Requests shall be honored on a “first come, first served” basis.

b. For those staff members who have sufficient unused personal days remaining at the end of each school year, all remaining unused personal days shall be converted to accumulated sick leave annually.

c. Requests from teachers for personal day leave will be limited to three (3) consecutive days.

Involuntary leave may be requested only after other appropriate accumulated leave has been exhausted. All requests for involuntary leave must be in writing on prescribed forms, submitted seventy-two (72) hours in advance to the building principal and be approved by the Superintendent. Involuntary leave shall be limited to use for a court subpoena or family/household emergency.

Any involuntary leave expected to be longer than five (5) days must be approved by the BOARD OF EDUCATION. No compensation shall be granted for leaves in excess of five (5) days. In such cases, the leave shall be without pay in all instances.

a. The BOARD OF EDUCATION shall grant maternity leave in accordance with Board policy and the laws of the State of New Jersey.

b. Upon return, the employee will be placed on the same step and guide in effect when her leave commences and with all benefits previously accrued. If the employee serves half of her contracted days prior to and/or after her leave option, she will be placed on the next higher step upon returning at the start of or during the following school year.

c. The BOARD OF EDUCATION agrees to provide six (6) months of child rearing leave without pay for adoption of an infant. All rights and privileges granted in 9.6(a) & 9.6(b) shall also apply to child-rearing leave. In addition, both male and female employees shall be eligible. In the event that both parents are employed by the MANTUA TOWNSHIP BOARD OF EDUCATION, only one (1) parent shall be eligible for child-rearing leave.

a. The BOARD OF EDUCATION agrees to provide two (2) days of paternity leave to any male staff member per school year.

a. The BOARD OF EDUCATION is agreeable to $300.00 or two (2) professional days per school year for the following teaching staff members: special education, nurse, social worker, psychologist, guidance counselor, occupational therapist, speech/language specialist, learning disabilities teacher/consultant, behavior specialist, and special areas.

b. The BOARD OF EDUCATION shall reimburse all other employees, with the exception of teachers, for the cost of attending a total of one (1) professional workshop, seminar, webinar, or other similarly approved functions, up to a maximum of $100.

c. Teachers can attend professional development opportunities held outside of the district with the Superintendent’s permission.

a. Purpose
A sabbatical leave shall be granted to a teacher by the BOARD OF EDUCATION for study, including study in another area of specialization, for travel, or for other reasons of value to the school system.

b. Conditions
Sabbatical leave shall be granted, subject to the following conditions:
(1) If there are sufficient qualified applicants, sabbatical may be granted to a maximum of two (2) teachers in any academic year.
(2) Requests for sabbatical leave must be received by the Superintendent in writing in such form as may be mutually agreed on by the ASSOCIATION and the Superintendent no later than January 1 and action must be taken on all such requests no later than April 1 of the school year preceding the academic year for which the sabbatical leave is requested.
(3) The teacher, in order to qualify for sabbatical leave, must have completed at least seven (7) full school years of service in the Mantua Township School District.
(4) The teacher on sabbatical leave shall be paid fifty percent (50%) of his/her contract salary for the year in which the sabbatical is requested.
(5) Upon return from the sabbatical leave, the teacher shall be placed on the salary schedule at the level which s/he would have achieved had s/he remained actively employed in the system during the period of his/her absence. A recipient of a sabbatical shall agree to return to his/her duties within the school district for a period of not less than two (2) years. Should a sabbatical recipient fail to return to the service of the Mantua Township School District for a period of two (2) years immediately following the sabbatical, the recipient shall repay the BOARD OF EDUCATION the full amount received while on sabbatical leave of absence.
(6) A sabbatical leave shall be granted for no more or no less than one (1) academic year. All sabbatical leaves shall be effective from the opening day of school and last until the closing day of school during the same academic year.
(7) A sabbatical leave shall be granted to a teacher not more than once during his/her entire employment in Mantua Township School District.
(8) A teacher on sabbatical leave shall be entitled to any and all fringe benefits which are extended to all teachers and for which the recipient is eligible, at personal expense.

Recognizing the desire and responsibility of the professional staff to increase professional skills, acquire greater knowledge, and achieve professional advancement through formal education, the BOARD OF EDUCATION and the ASSOCIATION agree to the following Article.

The Mantua Township BOARD OF EDUCATION agrees to pay tuition costs for teachers in accordance with the provisions outlined below:

a. Eligibility
All employees who hold a Baccalaureate Degree from an accredited college will be eligible.

d. Reimbursement
The BOARD OF EDUCATION will establish a pool of money for the purpose of reimbursing teachers for approved graduate course work. This amount will be $50,000 for each year of the contract. This amount will be distributed as follows:

· 50% for courses which end between July 1^st and December 31^st

· 50% for courses which end between January 1^st and June 30^th (any monies left from the above amount will be added to this amount)

Eligibility for these allotments will be based on matriculation in a graduate program or approved professional certification that is directly related to the employee’s responsibilities as per their job description. Those individuals who qualify will be reimbursed 100% of the costs for tuition, matriculation and registration (additional expenses for books, parking fees, late fees, etc. must be assumed by the individual) as long as the total requests do not exceed the available pool as stated above. In the event that the requests do exceed the available pool, matriculated individuals will be reimbursed on an equal basis. An “equal basis” is hereby defined as each teacher getting 100% of the cost of each credit until the funds are depleted. In the event that the amount being requested exceeds the available pool of monies, the following procedure will be used to determine the amount to be distributed to each teacher:

(1) The total number of credits being requested for reimbursement will be divided into the available pool.

(2) This per credit amount will then be multiplied by the credits being requested by each individual teacher to determine how much the staff member will receive.

Teachers who are not matriculated will be eligible for reimbursement if money is available after matriculated individuals have been reimbursed. These funds will be distributed on an equal basis as outlined above.

Teachers wishing to be eligible for reimbursement must have coursework included in their Professional Development Plan for the current year.

The maximum amount to be reimbursed to the teacher shall not exceed the cost of nine (9) graduate credits based on the cost of credits for New Jersey state colleges for the academic year in which the approved course work was taken. Should this amount be increased during the school year, the BOARD OF EDUCATION will adjust its reimbursement amount accordingly.

a. Course approval requests for courses which conclude between July 1 and December 31 must be submitted to the Superintendent through the building principal no later than June 1 of the year the course is being taken. Within thirty (30) days of the above date the Superintendent will return the course approval request indicating whether the course has been approved and the amount available for reimbursement.

Course approval requests for courses which conclude between January 1 and June 30 must be submitted to the Superintendent through the building principal no later than December 1 of the year the course is being taken. Within thirty (30) days of the above date the Superintendent will return the course approval request indicating whether the course has been approved and the amount available for reimbursement.

All courses must be approved by the Superintendent in order to be reimbursed. The BOARD OF EDUCATION shall reimburse only those courses that are related to the instructional process at the elementary level. These courses shall include, but not be limited to, the fields of guidance and supervision.

b. Upon completion of the Request for Course Reimbursement form, proof of payment and a transcript or grade card shall be submitted to the Superintendent as evidence of successful completion of the course(s). Reimbursement shall be made only to applicants who present evidence (course mark as shown on official transcripts) of having received a grade of “B” or better.

d. The reimbursement periods shall take place thirty (30) days after the BOARD OF EDUCATION received notification of successful completion.

d. In the event that a staff member formally withdraws from his/her approved class or is not eligible to be reimbursed due to receiving a grade of “C” or less, money that was designated for that individual will be divided up and evenly dispersed among those individuals still enrolled in the program who received a grade of “B” or better.

All other employees desiring to take courses related to training or the enhancement of their job performance must submit a written request to the Board of Education. Approval of such courses will be at the board’s discretion.

The BOARD OF EDUCATION shall pay the full premium cost of AmeriHealth Public Sector 5 (or a plan of equal or greater benefits) for each eligible teacher and employee and eligible dependents. All employees eligible for medical coverage will be provided the opportunity to pay the differential for AmeriHealth Public Sector 10 (or plan of equal or greater benefits).

In order to be eligible for health care insurance, an employee must be contracted to work 30 or more hours per week.

All employees who receive medical health benefits will provide a contribution towards their benefits in accordance with P.L. 2011, Chapter 78.

The Board of Education agrees to provide each employee eligible for health care insurance a contribution towards accident/sickness disability coverage through the Prudential Insurance Company of America equal to one of the following two plans:

1. Plan #4568 Accident/Sickness with a maximum monthly benefit amount of $510.00. This plan is only available to those staff members who are enrolled in this plan as of July 1, 2006.

2. Pru-Protect 14-day elimination period with a maximum monthly benefit amount of $1,000.00.

This contribution can be used towards the cost of any accident/sickness plan through Prudential or any individual disability plan that is Board approved and selected by the employee with the employee paying any cost over the board contribution amount.

Eligibility for income protection insurance will be based on the same conditions as defined in 12.1 above.

The BOARD OF EDUCATION shall pay the full premium cost for prescription drug insurance coverage for each employee eligible for health care insurance and eligible dependents, based on the following co-pays:

Generic Preferred $10.
Brand Preferred $20.
Non-Preferred $30.

Eligibility for prescription drug insurance will be based on the same conditions as defined in 12.1 above.

All employees who receive prescription drug benefits will provide a contribution towards their benefits in accordance with P.L. 2011, Chapter 78.

The BOARD OF EDUCATION shall pay the full premium cost for employee-only dental insurance for each employee eligible for health care insurance. Family coverage will be available at the employee’s expense.

Eligibility for dental insurance will be based on the same conditions as defined in 12.1 above.

All employees who receive dental benefits will provide a contribution towards their benefits in accordance with P.L. 2011, Chapter 78.

The BOARD OF EDUCATION agrees to deduct from the salaries of all employees (at the option of the employee) dues for the Mantua Township Education Association, the Gloucester County Education Association, and New Jersey Education Association or the National Education Association, or any one or any combination of such associations as said employee individually and voluntarily authorize the BOARD OF EDUCATION to deduct. Such deductions shall be made in compliance with Chapter 310 Public Laws of 1967 (NJSA 51:14-15.9e) and under rules established by the State Department of Education.

The Board of Education shall transmit to the appropriate office of the NJEA all dues deducted on behalf of said employees. The amount transmitted will be based on the invoice received from NJEA along with any necessary adjustments. This check will be forwarded by the Board of Education by the 15^th of the following month.

a. Employees employed on a ten (10) month basis shall be paid in twenty (20) equal semi-monthly installments. Employees may elect to have salary deposited directly to their account by contacting the Board Office for necessary paperwork. The BOARD OF EDUCATION will provide, at the beginning of each school year, a check distribution guide outlining the actual paydays for the course of the school year.

(1) Employees may individually elect to have any amount of their monthly salary deducted from their pay for deposit in individual accounts with the ABCO Credit Union. The interest accrued will be applied to their individual accounts by the Credit Union. Withdrawal of funds is subject to the rules of the Credit Union.
(2) Employees must submit written forms, which will be prepared by the Board Office, in order to have payroll deductions made. The amount of deductions authorized by the Employee at the beginning of the school year may not be changed. Deductions will be discontinued only if the Board Office is notified by the 15^th of the month prior to the date of discontinuance.

b. When a payday falls on or during a school holiday, vacation, or weekend, employees shall receive their paychecks on the last previous working day.

	2020-21 Hourly Rate	2021-22 Hourly Rate	2022-23 Hourly Rate
	32.01	33.05	34.12

Salary Step	2020-21 Hourly Rate	2021-22 Hourly Rate	2022-23 Hourly Rate
9	19.42
10	19.85	20.23
11	20.25	20.63	20.88
12	20.65	21.03	21.28
13	21.05	21.43	21.68
14	21.84	22.22	22.47
15	22.63	23.01	23.26
16	23.41	23.79	24.04
17	24.67	25.05	25.33

Salary Step	2020-21	2021-22	2022-23
1	24,566	25,365	26,189

a. For year one (1) of this contract, teachers who have reached their twentieth (20^th) year of service or longer in the Mantua Township School District shall receive a recognitory increment of $1,450. For year (2) of this contract, teachers who have reached their twentieth (20^th) year of service or longer in the Mantua Township School District shall receive a recognitory increment of $1,625. For year three (3) of this contract, teachers who have reached their twentieth (20^th) year of service or longer in the Mantua Township School District shall receive a recognitory increment of $1,800.

2020-21 2021-22 2022-23
$1,450 $1,625 $1,800

For year one (1) of this contract, teachers who have reached their fifteenth (15^th) through nineteenth (19^th) year of service in the Mantua Township School District shall receive a recognitory increment of $1,183. For year (2) of this contract, teachers who have reached their fifteenth (15^th) through nineteenth (19^th) year of service in the Mantua Township School District shall receive a recognitory increment of $1,292. For year three (3) of this contract, teachers who have reached their fifteenth (15^th) through nineteenth (19^th) year of service in the Mantua Township School District shall receive a recognitory increment of $1,400.

2020-21 2021-22 2022-23
$1,183 $1,292 $1,400

b. Teachers who have earned and been awarded a Master’s Degree in Education or in an allied field shall receive $1,500. in addition to their rightful places on the Bachelor’s Degree salary guide. In addition, recognition shall be given for a Master’s Degree plus fifteen (15) credits earned, a Master’s Degree plus thirty (30) credits, and for a Doctorate degree at $800. at each level.

Documentation of said change in degree status must be provided within three (3) months of the completion of course work for the change to be retroactive to the first day of the month following the change in degree status. Documentation received after this time will become effective on the date it is approved by the BOARD OF EDUCATION.

c. For year one (1) of this contract, staff members other than teachers entering their tenth (10^th) through fourteenth (14^th) contracted year of service in the Mantua Township School District shall receive a longevity payment in the amount of $400. For year two (2) of this contract, staff members other than teachers entering their tenth (10^th) through fourteenth (14^th) contracted year of service in the Mantua Township School District shall receive a longevity payment in the amount of $450. For year three (3) of this contract, staff members other than teachers entering their tenth (10^th) through fourteenth (14^th) contracted year of service in the Mantua Township School District shall receive a longevity payment in the amount of $500.

2020-21 2021-22 2022-23
$400 $450 $500

For year one (1) of this contract, staff members other than teachers entering their fifteenth (15^th) through nineteenth (19^th) contracted year of service in the Mantua Township School District shall receive a longevity payment in the amount of $517. For year two (2) of this contract, staff members other than teachers entering their fifteenth (15^th) through nineteenth (19^th) contracted year of service in the Mantua Township School District shall receive a longevity payment in the amount of $583. For year three (3) of this contract, staff members other than teachers entering their fifteenth (15^th) through nineteenth (19^th) contracted year of service in the Mantua Township School District shall receive a longevity payment in the amount of $650.

2020-21 2021-22 2022-23
$517 $583 $650

For year one (1) of this contract, staff members other than teachers entering their twentieth (20^th) contracted year of service or longer in the Mantua Township School District shall receive a longevity payment in the amount of $700. For year two (2) of this contract, staff members other than teachers entering their twentieth (20^th) contracted year of service or longer in the Mantua Township School District shall receive a longevity payment in the amount of $800. For year three (3) of this contract, staff members other than teachers entering their twentieth (20^th) year of service or longer in the Mantua Township School District shall receive a longevity payment in the amount of $900.

2020-21 2021-22 2022-23
$700 $800 $900

The above payments will be made in one lump sum on July 15^th for all 12-month employees and on September 15^th for all 10-month employees.

14.3 Special Activities Positions

5^th and 6^th Grade Band Director $ 1,303
New Players Band Director $ 710
Jazz Band Director $ 710
5^th and 6^th Grade Chorus Director $ 1,303
4^th Grade Chorus Director $ 710
Drama Coach $ 752
Assistant Drama Coach $ 492
Talent Show Coordinator - 5^th and 6^th grade (2) $ 463 each
Safety Patrol Advisor $ 868
Student Council Advisor $ 1,158
Art Coordinator (2) $ 926 each
Physical Education Coordinator $ 868
Career Education Coordinator $ 839
Curriculum Fair Coordinator (3) $ 579 each
Head Teacher (3) $ 926 each
Summer Library * $ 1,360
Summer Instrumental ** $ 1,360

Summer school instruction and/or curriculum work $38.00/hour
After School Clubs $38.00/hour
Extended School Year paraprofessionals $18.00/hour

* Summer Library - a minimum of fifty (50) students must pre-register in order to establish a Summer Library program. If 100 or more students attend the program each week, a bonus of $200. will be added.

** Summer Instrumental - a minimum of twenty (20) students must pre-register in order to establish a Summer Instrumental program. If forty (40) or more students pre-register and attend 80% of the lessons, a bonus of $200. will be added.

Employment or adjustment increment may be withheld in whole or in part for inefficiency or other just cause only in accordance with the following:

At least ninety (90) days prior to transmitting any such recommendation to withhold an employee’s increment to the BOARD OF EDUCATION, the Superintendent shall give written notice to the teacher against whom the recommendation shall be made, specifying the alleged causes for the recommendation, with such particulars as to furnish the employee with an opportunity to correct and overcome the same. Within ten (10) days after such a recommendation is forwarded to the BOARD OF EDUCATION, the involved teacher may file a grievance in accordance with Article III, starting at the Board level.

Employees who are required to use their own automobiles in the performance of their duties and responsibilities and employees who are assigned to more than one building per day shall be reimbursed for all such travel at the rate established by the OMB Circular or, if such rate does not exist, the IRS rate. The rate applicable in September shall remain in effect for the duration of the school year.

On early dismissal days when personnel are required to stay beyond the contractual time in order to fulfill State Law, their pay shall be prorated, based on their annual salary.

Paraprofessionals who provide discrete trial services will receive a differential over and above their regular hourly rate of pay in the amount of $5.00. Paraprofessionals who hold a valid New Jersey substitute certificate will receive a differential over and above their regular hourly rate of pay in the amount of $6.00.

Child Study Team Evaluations as defined as psychological evaluations, learning evaluations, occupational evaluations, speech/language evaluations, and social histories shall be paid using the following schedule:

Evaluations & Reports $230.00
Eligibility Conference $ 75.00
Case Manager $ 75.00
Functional Behavioral Assessments $520.00

The term of this Agreement shall be for three (3) years. This Agreement shall commence and be effective on July 1, 2020 and continue in full force and effect until June 30, 2023.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the party of the first part has caused these presents to be signed by its President, attested by its Secretary and its corporate seal to be affixed hereto, pursuant to a Resolution of its Board Members, and the party of the second part has caused these presents to be signed by its President, attested by its Secretary and its corporate seal to be affixed hereto, pursuant to a Resolution of its members, the day and year first above written.