Human Resources Advisory Council February 25, 2016 Facilitated by Melissa Aguero Ramirez HR Director Region One ESC

Welcome, Introductions, Announcements New Retirements EPP representatives

EPP Roundtable Discussion New Teacher / Principal Survey EPP changes Application GPA requirements Letter of acceptance Issuance of Probationary certificate Intern assignments / HQ determinations Mentor credentials “Standard” training date

Educator Preparation Programs Principal Survey & New Teacher Survey (see sample) To be distributed on or about April annually electronically Designed to be completed online in 15 minutes One survey per 1 st year teacher Due by June 15 th annually Pilot year was (09-10); Survey results did not count against EPPS Results will post on Consumer Info website

GPA Requirements 2.5 overall GPA or in last GPA of cohort

NCLB vs. ESSA Every Student Succeeds Act replaces the Bush Administration's No Child Left Behind Act will change the way teachers are evaluated, and leaves accountability goals up to the states.

Loan Forgiveness Programs General information – 2016 Teacher shortage areas: Bilingual/English as a Second Language Career and Technical Education Computer Science English as a Second Language Mathematics Science Special Education - Elementary and Secondary Levels Federal Teacher Loan Forgiveness program TEACH for Texas Loan Repayment Assistance (outside source) TEACH for Texas Loan Repayment Assistance Federal Perkins Loan Teacher Cancellation (outside source) Federal Perkins Loan Teacher Cancellation Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program No date restriction or require you to be teaching in a class room; you can be working in any position within the school or other public service job category. Contact Public Service Loan Forgiveness specialists at for more information.

Appraisal ILD or AEL is required for T-TESS appraisers and must have certificate on file. ILD will no longer be available after 1/1/16. AEL certificate is available through Region 13 website. Must verify through the Texas Portal System each year that T-TESS appraisers have passed the certification exam before appraising. Board must approve all appraisers for T-TESS/T-PESS each year. Must have T-PESS certificate on file. T-PESS certificate is through Region 13 website.

Preparing for Appraisal Process New School Districts implementing T-TESS/T-PESS Appraisal System AND current pilot districts # administrators will need to be trained with T-TESS? (CO administrators, dean of instruction, HR, etc.) # administrators will need to be trained with T-PESS? (Superintendent or other, central office administrators, HR, principals, assistant principals, etc.) Intent to train form distributed at RAC Submit to : SLO pilot? Submit to :

Implications of new evaluation systems Job description for administrator Scheduling of training for non-pilot LEAs Verify eligibility to appraise Evaluation timeline

Core Subject Exams EC-6 and 4-8 Started administration January 6, 2015 Cost? $131 then $65 per retake exam 45 day retake waiting period applies No breaks during test Scores available within 7 days from test date Decrease of the minimum passing standards approved for a period of one year effective 9/1/15 Test preparation resources

Core Subject EC-6

Core Subject 4-8

Educator Certification Examination Retake Policy Change Attempts prior to 9/1/15 = 1 attempt Eligible for 4 more attempts “good cause” waiver for exceeding 5 time max testing requirement EPP role Remediation requirement prior to re-release Implications of limiting attempts Impact on 2 nd and 3 rd year internships

Test center complaints Computer-Administered Tests ETS-TExES CAT Complaints PO Box 6051 Princeton, NJ Fax:

Types of Permits Permit requirements: &rl=Y Non-Renewable Permit (NRP) Issued to the district for teachers who have completed all academic requirements and need only the ExCETs or TExES. Valid for one school year Criminal Check conducted by SBEC

Types of Permits continued Emergency Teaching Permit (ETP) Issued by SBEC to districts that are not fully certified for the area that they are teaching Non-certified Lacking academic requirements Based on a deficiency plan Some may be renewed by completing a minimum of 6 hours that year Maximum of three years without a standard certificate Certified For additional areas (i.e. Bilingual, Early Childhood) Must complete deficiency requirements or test out

Types of Permits continued Temporary Classroom Assignment Permit (TCAP) For secondary use only Teacher must be fully certified For use to allow teacher to teach up to 4 classes outside of certification area Teacher must have 6 hours in content area to be taught Valid for one school year only Filed locally only – not on SBEC

Each person employed in Texas public schools as an educational aide must be certified according to requirements established by the State Board for Educator Certification. (TAC ) School districts recommend for the appropriate level of educational aide certification – I, II, or III Qualifications: High School Diploma or the equivalent such as a GED Relevant experience and/or skills as determined by the local school district 21 Educational Aides

Subchapter E – Educational Aide Certificates (c) An applicant for an educational aide certificate must be able to communicate, listen, read, write and comprehend the English language sufficiently to use it easily and readily in daily communication. See (b)(1)-(5) for general requirements and options for meeting English proficiency. Different “levels” of Educational Aide certification

23 Educational Aide Certification Levels

Institution of Higher Education – Paraprofessional Requirements 1)admits as regular students only persons having a certificate of graduation from a school providing secondary education, or the recognized equivalent of such a certificate; 2)is legally authorized within such State to provide a program of education beyond secondary education; 3)provides an educational program for which the institution awards a bachelor’s degree or provides not less than a two-year program that is acceptable for full credit toward such a degree; 4)is a public or other non-profit institution; and 5)is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association or, if not so accredited, is an institution that has been granted pre-accreditation by such an agency or association that has been recognized by the Secretary for the granting of pre-accreditation status, and the Secretary has determined that there is satisfactory assurance that the institution will meet the accreditation standards of such an agency or association within a reasonable time. NCLB: Section 9101(24)

ACA deadlines change

Legislative Update – Same Sex Marriage Same sex marriage is legal in Texas Implications: Nepotism Conflict of interest forms Revise forms Emergency contact FMLA Areas of caution: Required documentation Employee reaction

Legislative Update - Handguns

Legislative Update SB 507 (Cameras in the classroom) Can videotape student/record voice without consent from parent for safety reasons Videotaping equipment for special ed students in self contained classroom* HB2610 (Instructional minutes vs. instructional days) 75,600 minutes vs. 180 days of instruction Effective Implications for next year?

Administrator Evaluation Principal Commissioner Recommended Student Performance Domain Worksheet Superintendent Appraisal Worksheet and summary Online resources

Staffing Tools Student Enrollment Trends 5 year enrollment comparison by campus type 5 year enrollment by district Staffing guidelines Student: Teacher ratio (courtesy Walsh Anderson) TEC § teacher : 20 students in ADA districtwide TEC § teacher: 45 students in PE Otherwise identify “manner in which student safety will be maintained”

Special Education Staffing Guidelines Factors for consideration Districts must provide a continuum of services Individual needs are determined by ARD committee Services are to be provided in the least restrictive environment Increase services in the general education classroom requiring collaboration Students must have access to general curriculum Levels of support vary per individual student Gender may be a factor when student’s needs include behavioral restraint and/or personal care IEP meetings and data management Transition of 3 year olds with disabilities into public school as of 3 rd birthday Indirect services (medical management, case management, parent training, teacher training)

Implications of Staffing Decisions Contracts Letter of reasonable assurance Unemployment Compensation Liability

“Getting more bang for your buck” Various uses of funds Special Education Bilingual NCLB Reimburse teachers for passing Generalist 4-8 and/or multiple subject area certificates Stipend for multiple preps Hiring criteria Bilingual Generalists

Types of Contracts Probationary –for all teachers new to a district or who have been employed less than 2 yrs since 1967 with some exceptions Can be terminated at end of term without good cause, due process hearing or right to appeal with 10 day notice Term – After probationary can be for up to 5 years and for 10 to 12 months in a year Can be Non-renewed at end of term for reasons defined in policy with 10 day notice

Types of Contracts - continued Continuing – similar to tenure not renewed because there is not expiration Can only be terminated for good cause with specific rights Non Certified Administrator contracts Letter of Reasonable Assurance

Reminders: District permitted to declare an educator’s contract void for lack of certification. If an educator fails to renew or extend his or her certificate through the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC), the district can immediately declare his or her contract void without a due-process hearing (but remember that H.B prevents districts from declaring an educator’s contract void if the certification was not renewed or extended simply because SBEC has not had a chance to approve the renewal). Probationary contract can be issued for staff that assume a position that requires a different class of certificate Those who are returned to their previous jobs are entitled to the same type of contract they had prior to the change (term or continuing).

Addendums & Timelines  Contract Administration Cycle  Certification Addendum  Utilized when teacher is not fully certified in a certain area (ie., Bilingual – will be placed on a permit) but certification is required to be acquired by set deadline  Hiring retirees  Contract  Retire/Rehire Addendum  Salary  Surcharge?  Exceptions

Employment Contracts / Notifications  Contract administration cycle? Reminder: Employee Notifications TEC (d) Policy Code Policy Title DA series Equal employment opportunity, genetic nondiscrimination, criteria for personnel decision DBAA* Criminal history and credit reports DBD Conflict of interest DC* Employment practices DCB Term contracts DEA series Salaries and wages; incentives and stipends DEC series* Leaves and absences DF Termination of employment DFA series Termination of, or return to probationary contract

Employee Notifications Continued Policy Code Policy Title DFB series Termination of term contracts DFD Hearings before hearing examiner DFE* Resignation DFF Reduction in force DFFA Reduction in force due to financial exigency DFFB Reduction in force due to program change DG Employee rights and privileges DGBA Employee complaints/grievances DH Employee standards of conduct DHE Searches and alcohol/drug testing DI Employee welfare DIA Freedom from discrimination, harassment, and retaliation DK Assignment and schedules DN series Performance appraisal

Contractor or Employee? DOL and IRS - fine line What about TRS? 3 areas to help identify: Behavior control Financial control Type of relationship Use checklist courtesy Region 10

TRS Standardized school year as of Service Credit: September – August Salary: September – August TEAMS (February 2016) - reporting of all retirees regardless of employment status

Employment After Retirement For the school year:

Three Categories

Texas Teacher of the Year Due to Region One ESC (HR office) 5 p.m. on Friday, June 10, 2016 (tentative) ENCOURAGE electronic submission Application Picture 2 district representatives (1 Elem / 1 Sec) Clarifications: 2 year commitment FT employees; can be PT teacher (minimum 4 hours/day) BUT other duties NOT administrative

Coming Events EC-6 Core Subjects Review Session Substitute Teacher Certification Academy Conference for Administrative Professionals April 15, workshop#45258 $99 fee includes lunch Administrative Assistant’s Day (April 27, 2016) Teacher Appreciation Week (May 2 – 6, 2016) Nurse’s Week (May 6 – 12, 2016)

Job Fairs June 7, 2016 – Region One ESC Educator Fair For RECRUITERS – workshop #51570 March 29, Texas State University - San Marcos April 5, 2016– University of Texas - San Antonio April 6, 2016 – University of Texas at Austin April 7, University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley – Brownsville April 8, University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley – Edinburg April 12, Texas A&M University - Kingsville April 13, Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi

TASPA News

Comments, Concerns, & Solutions HR activities (TASB monthly) Staffing Efficiency Studies ONE*APP SubHub

Human Resources Advisory Council Meeting Dates All will be held in the Starr Room from 9-12 April 29 –workshop #50991 August 26 – workshop #50992