Employment contracts will be in writing and will be signed by the employee, the Board president and the Board secretary. Contracts will include the amount of annual compensation and the days of service.

Certificated staff members under contract include probationary teachers, permanent teachers and administrative staff. The probationary period allows a teacher to demonstrate, and the District to assess the teacher's competence. Beginning after the initial one (1) year contract, teachers who have demonstrated their competence through performance may be offered additional contracts.

The Board may elect to employ certain certificated individuals on a part-time basis, as needed.  Part-time certificated employees will be contracted as a percentage of full-time employment.  Part-time employees will not be provided the benefits provided to full-time employees.  In addition, part-time certificated employees who do not teach at least 17 hours per week will not be eligible for pension benefits.

Alternative Certification

Applicants who have not successfully achieved a qualifying score on the teacher examination are issued two-year nonrenewable provisional certificates.

During the two-year provisional period, the affected teacher may gain full teacher certification by:

1. Achieving a qualifying score on the designated exam; or
2. Successfully achieving an acceptable score on the state-approved evaluation system from seven walk-through evaluations; two formative evaluations; and one summative evaluation for each of the two provisional years and being offered a third contract by the District; and
3. District recommendation to DESE that the teacher be given full teaching certification.

Online Teacher Preparation Program

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is developing and will maintain an eighteen (18) hour online teacher preparation program related to subjects appropriate for elementary and secondary education settings.  An individual with a bachelor’s degree may complete an eighteen (18) hour online training program created by DESE or by an approved charitable organization.  Individuals satisfactorily completing such a program will receive a teacher certificate.  However, such certificate will not be accepted by the District, but may be accepted by private schools as well as private school accrediting agencies.

Visiting Scholar Certificate

The District may employ teachers with the Visiting Scholar Certification under the following provisions:

1. Verification from the District that such teacher will be employed as part of a business-education partnership designed to build career-pathways to teach in the ninth grade or higher for which the teacher’s academic degree or professional experience qualifies the teacher or employed as part of an initiative designed to fill vacant positions in hard-to-staff public schools or hard-to-fill subject areas for students in a grade or grades not lower than the ninth grade for which the applicant’s academic degree or professional experience qualifies the applicant.
2. Appropriate and relevant bachelor’s degree or higher, occupational license or industry-related recognized credential.
3. Completion of the application for a one year visiting scholar certificate.
4. Completion of a background check as required by state law.

Under these circumstances, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education may issue a one year visiting scholar certificate.  The visiting scholar may renew their certificate for a maximum of two (2) years based upon completion or completion of the requirements listed above; completion of professional development required by the District and attainment of a satisfactory performance-based teacher evaluation.

In addition, the holder of a Visiting Scholar Certificate may be renewed by the state board’s issuance of an additional professional subject-area certification for specific content knowledge, or for a specialty area to a certificate holder who:

1. Applies for an additional professional subject area certification.
2. Successfully achieves an acceptable score on the state approved evaluation system from seven walk-through evaluations, two formative evaluations, and one summative evaluation of the applicant’s teaching specific content knowledge or the specialty areas for which the additional professional subject area certification is sought.
3. Receives the applicant’s employing district’s recommendation to the state board that the applicant be given an additional professional subject-area certification under the rules prescribed by the state board.
4. Completes a background check as required in Policy 4120.