Tennessee Open Records Act (TORA) As a public school employee under the TORA, your personnel file is available for viewing to TN residents upon request – with medical records, personal information, and references kept confidential. You will be notified in writing if your file is reviewed by anyone outside of HCDE Administration. You may review your own file at any time with 24-hr advance notice.

SOCIAL MEDIA Be aware of the very public nature of the internet (i.e.: Facebook, My Space, You Tube, Twitter, etc…) Remind yourself of the commonplace nature of cell phone cameras and audio/video recorders.

SOCIAL MEDIA Never post or share pictures or videos containing HCDE students without advance written approval from their parent(s). If you opt to “friend” or “follow” students and/or parents (which is discouraged), or co- workers be certain that ALL viewable items are professional and appropriate in nature.

$$$ PAYCHECKS $$$ $$$ PAYCHECKS $$$ You will receive your first check August 28, and you will receive 26 checks for the year including checks through the summer. You can view your pay statement using HCDE Employee Online. The current HCDE salary scale can be found in the HR section of the HCDE website under “Certified” It is the employee’s responsibility to verify the accuracy of his/her paycheck. Please contact HR or Payroll if you feel your check is inaccurate.

EMPLOYEE ONLINE Can be accessed at school or home Allows you to: –Update personal information Such as address and contact numbers –Change tax withholding –View and print check stubs –View dependent information, license information, deductions, benefits, and more

How to Access Employee Online and Employee ID # Employee Online: –To access from home type “eo.hcde.org” into the Internet Explorer address bar or type the internet address: Employee ID # –To locate, click on “Home Address” under the “Personal Information” section and it is listed under your name.

TEMPORARY & REGULAR POSITIONS REGULAR contracts automatically renew for the next year IF the teacher is selected for re-hire by the principal. TEMPORARY positions must be advertised in January and the teacher holding the position may re-apply for the position. Re-employment is not guaranteed. New teachers in regular and temporary positions are also eligible to apply for other positions.

How To Apply for Other Positions Positions for the upcoming school year will be posted beginning in January. Please visit the HCDE HR site: Postings will be open for five (5) business days The last day for district transfers is June 1, with the exception of promotions

 10 TH DAY ENROLLMENT Following the 10 th student day, student enrollment counts will be taken and analyzed by Operations Directors and Human Resources. In keeping with the required class-size limits, school staffing patterns may be adjusted accordingly. These adjustments may include but not be limited to staff additions, staff reductions, or staff transfers.

OJI -- In the event of an ON THE JOB INJURY, notify your supervisor immediately!

EXPERIENCE AND DEGREES Experience verifications are the responsibility of the employee and must be completed on the appropriate form, which can be found at the following link: HCDE will honor up to 15 years of acceptable experience. The State Board of Education and the HCDE Board of Education have approved our Differentiated Pay Plan, which continues to grant pay increases for advanced degrees beyond a Bachelor’s. –An official transcript showing degree and date conferred must be submitted to the HR office. –Educators must also complete and submit an application to the Tennessee Office of Teacher Licensing. –Please note that pay for an advanced degree is not retro- active.

Students will always learn best with a certified, qualified instructor in their classroom. Because of this, teacher attendance is crucial to student achievement! The district’s goal for teacher attendance in Hamilton County for is 98%. This goal will be monitored regularly by the Superintendent.

Short-Term Leave Sick Leave - 10 days per school year (one day earned per month worked) –Sick leave accumulates and may be counted as time- served towards retirement and paid out at $20-$30 per day –Per Board Policy, your principal may request a physician’s statement for any days on which you submit a claim for sick leave Personal Leave – 3 days per school year –Does not accumulate. Bereavement Leave – 5 consecutive days with no loss in salary or benefits (refer to Board Policy)

 A leave of absence (LOA) must be requested for all absences of ten (10) consecutive work days or more.  FMLA is the Family Medical Leave Act and provides leave for up to twelve (12) weeks. To qualify for FMLA, you must have been employed at least one year and worked 1,250 hours to be eligible.  FMLA may be used for the birth or adoption of a child, to care for an immediate family member with a serious health condition, an employee’s own serious health condition, or to care for a military member.  A physician’s statement and appropriate paperwork will be required for any medical leaves.

RESPECTFUL ENVIRONMENT HCDE is committed to safeguarding the rights of all students and employees to learn and work in an environment that is free from all forms of harassment and / or discrimination. HCDE also prohibits any form of harassment or discrimination based on age, religion, disability, or race / national origin. Should you experience or witness any violations, report it to your immediate supervisor or the Human Resources Office immediately.

LICENSE RENEWAL Remember – Each educator is SOLELY RESPONSIBLE for the renewal and upkeep of his / her teaching license. Please visit:

EVALUATIONS Hamilton County developed the Project Coach model Non-professionally licensed teacher evaluations: –8 mini-observations (4/4 or 5/3) –Each observation will be a minimum of 10 minutes –Total observation time must be at least 90 minutes Professionally licensed teacher evaluations: –6 mini-observations (3/3 or 4/2) –Each observation will be a minimum of 8 minutes –Total observation time must be at least 60 minutes Evaluation is based on a rubric with 40 indicators, which is available online. EVERY teacher, EVERY year!

NEW TEACHER NETWORK 1 st Session: Behavior Management – K-5 September 21, :30 to 6:30 2 nd Session: Behavior Management – 6-12 September 22, :30 to 6:30 Presenter: Stacy Stewart, Assistant Superintendent for HR

RESIGNATIONS State law requires a 30-day notice IN WRITING prior to the date you plan to leave your position. Failure to do so is a breech of contract and may result in revocation of your Tennessee Teacher’s License.

For more information, please visit and read our Frequently Asked Questions inside Employee Online: equently_Asked_Questions_Web.pdf