The SPS shall provide every substitute teacher hired into the SPS at the beginning of the school year or thereafter a copy of the Agreement, Substitute Handbook, SPS Rules and Regulations Affecting Substitute Teachers, a map showing school locations, a list of all school buildings (including addresses and phone numbers) and the phone number of Human Resources. As a reference for all SPS personnel, “The Best Practices Guideline for Substitute Teachers” is found in Appendix N.

1. Types of Substitute Teachers:

a. Senior Substitute Educator : A person eligible to substitute for the SPS, who has served four (4) or more years as a SPS substitute educator or regular employee and who is willing to accept any assignment for which he/she is qualified, shall be called a senior substitute and shall have first priority in assignment. To maintain this designation a Senior Substitute must work 45 days in the prior year and accept assignments for which they are called. (Note, to be eligible to self-pay for medical insurances the senior substitute must work at least 90 days in the prior year).

b. Regular Substitute Teacher: A person eligible to substitute for the SPS, who has served fewer than four (4) years as a SPS substitute or regular employee and who is willing to accept any assignment for which he/she is qualified, shall be called a regular substitute.

c. Building Designated Substitute Teacher: A person who is specifically employed or assigned as a Building Designated Substitute Teacher for a given school year to serve every day as a substitute teacher at a specified school or cluster of schools.

d. Long-Term Substitute Teacher: A substitute who remains in a single assignment of sixty (60) or more consecutive workdays.

2. Assignment of Substitute Teachers:

a. Substitute teachers shall receive consideration for 16-day and/or 60-day assignments, provided an unassigned contracted teacher serving in the contracted substitute pool cannot fill the vacancy.

b. Except in unusual circumstances, the SPS shall not use substitute teachers on a continuing basis for more than ninety (90) student days in lieu of regular certificated non-supervisory employees.

c. Except in unusual circumstances, building principals/program managers shall not require a substitute teacher to supervise another class during scheduled Preparation-Conference-Planning (PCP) time. In the event that a substitute teacher does supervise another class during his/her scheduled PCP time, he/she shall receive additional compensation from the funds the building has that are generated from the "lack of substitute funds" prorated to the daily rate for the PCP time lost.

d. Should two (2) or more substitute teachers be called for the same assignment, the SPS shall pay each substitute teacher called for the full rate of pay for the initial day of the assignment.

e. A one-half (.5) day substitute teacher assignment shall consist of up to three and one-half (3.5) clock hours.

f. An assignment of over three (3) consecutive class periods (or the equivalent if a school has adopted an alternative schedule) at the secondary level or more than three and one-half (3.5) clock hours at the elementary level shall count as a full day of service, except that any student contact period of fifteen (15) or less minutes before or between classes shall not be considered a violation of Item e above.

g. In the event a substitute teacher is assigned to two or more buildings in one day, the employee will be paid the contractual mileage.

3. Teacher Request for a Specific Substitute Teacher: A request for a specific substitute teacher, made by a regular full-time or part-time teacher, shall be honored, if possible, provided:

a. The name of the substitute teacher requested appears on the Substitute Roster and the substitute teacher is available for the assignment; and,

b. The Substitute Services' dispatcher receives the request the day preceding the absence of the regular instructor, either by telephone prior to 7:00 p.m. or in writing. Substitute Services will make a reasonable effort to honor requests made after 7:00 p.m.

4. There shall be four (4) classifications of substitute teacher assignments:

a. Daily assignments up to and including fifteen (15) consecutive workdays. The base rate of pay for daily substitute teacher assignments shall be as indicated in the Salary Schedule for Substitute Teachers in the Appendices of this Agreement.

b. Sixteen (16) consecutive workdays or longer assignments. Any assignments that exceed fifteen (15) consecutive workdays shall be paid at the contract teacher rate retroactive to the first day of assignment, except that, when Human Resources knows the assignment to be greater than fifteen (15) consecutive workdays, the contract teacher rate will be paid from the beginning of the assignment.

c. After 60 consecutive workdays in the same assignment certificated substitutes shall be eligible for medical and dental benefits. Coverage shall begin on the first of the following month if the eligibility begins between the 1st and 15th of the month. If eligibility begins after the 15th of the month coverage shall begin on the first of the second full month thereafter. Eligibility shall be for a minimum of three (3) months beyond the last day in the assignment so long as the benefits do not extend beyond the end of a budget year.

d. Building Designated Substitute Teachers will be paid at the teacher contract rate. They are also entitled to medical and dental insurance benefits, ROPE, and TRI days funded at the same rate as all other regular certificated non-supervisory contracted employees.

5. Leaves for Substitute Teachers:

a. Substitute teachers serving in one (1) single assignment up to and including twenty (20) consecutive workdays shall be credited with one (1) day of Sick/Emergency Leave for each twenty (20) consecutive work days in that assignment. This Sick/Emergency Leave shall accumulate from year to year and apply to all substitute assignments of twenty-one (21) consecutive workdays or more.

b. Substitute teachers who serve in assignments of twenty-one (21) or more consecutive workdays shall be entitled to Bereavement Leave.

6. Medical insurance eligibility: When the insurance providers allow participation, senior substitute educators shall be eligible to participate on a self paid basis in SPS-sponsored medical insurance plans offered regular employees under the terms of this Agreement. The senior substitute may elect medical only or a medical, dental and vision plan. Eligibility shall be for the subsequent year, following the substitute having worked at least 90 days in the prior year. Senior substitutes may enroll during the fall open enrollment period. If not selected in the fall open enrollment period, the senior substitute has waived their right to enroll for that year. Each senior substitute teacher electing to participate shall make written arrangements, including payment schedule, with the SPS's Payroll Service.

7. Substitute teachers may participate in the hiring process described in Article VIII, Staffing.

8. Pay for Extra Work Upon Opening of School: Certificated substitute teachers who work in excess of eight (8) hours the day prior to the opening of school or the first day of school shall be paid on an hourly basis for the extra work. The extra pay shall be equal to one-eighth of the daily rate for each hour worked in excess of eight. Payment for this work is conditioned upon the extra work being approved in advance by the principal/program manager.