City schools consider RIF policy update

Hartselle City Schools are considering adopting new regulations regarding laying off employees, an action that appears likely with a reduction of next year’s state education budget.

At a work session last week, the Hartselle Board of Education held a public hearing on the new policies. Superintendent Mike Reed said the policy would give teachers the same due process afforded to them under the law.

“It is compliant with state and federal law,” Reed said. “We’re just updating our (reduction in force) policy because it looks like we may have to lay off employees before next school year.”

The new policy has different rules for certified personnel and non-certified personnel. The order of layoffs for certified personnel, which includes all classroom teachers, begins first with non-tenured personnel within the area or grade level that is being reduced. Non-tenured employees will only be retained if a tenured employee is not qualified by certification to hold the position that the non-tenured teacher holds.

After that, personnel that have the least amount of service time will be terminated. Also, if a tenured teacher’s position has been eliminated, that teacher can displace bump another teacher in a different discipline area based on years of service. However, that person must be certified to handle the entire position of the person that is being displaced.

A teacher cannot bump another teacher or a higher paying job than he or she currently has.

Other criteria that are considered when teachers are laid off include certification, being highly qualified, seniority, length of continuous full-time service, actual date of employment in the affected positions, source of funding for a certain position and the date an employee’s contract was ratified by the system.

If all of the criteria are equal, lots will be drawn for the termination of teachers.

Teachers who are then laid off will go into a recall pool, where a person can be recalled within two years if his or her position or a similar position has reopened.

The reduction in force policy for non-certified personnel is similar to tenured with the exception that if a person’s position has been eliminated, that person can bump an employee in another work area with equal or lesser pay provided that the person is completely certified to hold that position.

The policy will be considered at the board’s next meeting on April 25 at 6 p.m.