ARTICLE
TEN
SUBSTITUTE
COVERAGE
Where the Board is legally
required to provide coverage for mandated paraprofessional services to children
in special education programs, paraprofessionals employed to provide such
coverage shall serve under the following conditions:
a.
No fewer than fifty (50) paraprofessionals to be known as the District
Paraprofessional Reserves (DPRs) will be assigned to the community school
districts, high school superintendencies, and the citywide program
superintendency. These DPRs will be
assigned to cover the absences of special education paraprofessionals in the
appropriate superintendency. All the
provisions of this Agreement apply to DPRs.
b.
The absences of special education paraprofessionals which are not covered
by DPRs will be covered by day-to-day substitute paraprofessionals.
Day-to-day
substitute paraprofessionals will be paid at the following rates for 6 hours and
40 minutes (6 hours and 50 minutes effective February 2006) inclusive of a
duty-free lunch period equal to that of teachers in the school:
Effective
Rate
Current
$ 107.01
The
rates above shall be pro-rated for longer or shorter work days.
Day-to-day
substitute paraprofessionals will be centrally hired and assigned by the Board. To
the extent possible assignments will be offered in accordance with preferences
indicated by the day-to-day substitute paraprofessionals. If
a principal does not select a transfer applicant or an excessed paraprofessional
to fill a vacancy, paraprofessionals with at least 3 months on or who have
actually worked at least twenty-five (25) days as a day-to-day substitute on the
current Substitute Paraprofessional Registry (Registry) or any successor program
will have priority over the hiring of any new employees for DPR and other
paraprofessional vacancies. Seniority
of day-to-day substitutes accrues on the basis of the number of days actually
worked, but not more than one year accrues during any twelve months.
Day-to-day
substitute paraprofessionals shall be entitled to tuition reimbursement under
the same requirements as the participants in the career training program for the
six semester hours of college credits required by the Commissioner's Regulations
to qualify as a paraprofessional. This
tuition assistance shall be available during the term or summer after the
day-to-day substitute paraprofessional has worked 30 days in the prior term and
continues to work or be available for employment in the current term.
The Board will provide
day-to-day substitutes with the opportunity to discuss the circumstances which
have given rise to complaints against them (with Union representation at the
option of the employee) if such complaints could lead to their being excluded
from assignment as a day-to-day substitute paraprofessional.
Except to the extent otherwise
set forth herein, day-to-day substitutes will be covered by the following
provisions of this Agreement: Articles
1, 2, 4B, 11E, 14, 16, 17B, 20, 21, 22, 25, 26A, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33,
36, 37, 38 and 39.
Article 17A shall apply as
follows: leave for injury in the line of duty may extend up to the day or days
for which the day-to-day substitute paraprofessional was notified he/she would
be employed.
Article 35 shall apply only to
the extent consistent with their status as day-to-day substitutes.
In addition, day-to-day
substitute paraprofessionals who cover the absence of a particular
paraprofessional for thirty consecutive work days or more shall be covered by
all the provisions of this Agreement during such assignment.
c.
District Paraprofessional Reserves and day-to-day substitute
paraprofessionals will participate in the staff development program for
newly-hired paraprofessionals.
d.
District Paraprofessional Reserves and day-to-day substitute
paraprofessionals will be employed exclusively to provide mandated special
education services during the absence of special education paraprofessionals or
their released time under Article 7C1. The
Board of Education will monitor the assignment of DPRs and day-to-day substitute
paraprofessionals for compliance with this limitation.
