Per Session Work

Throughout the school year, teachers apply for “per-session” activities that are done either before school, after school, on the weekend or holidays, or during the summer. If you apply for and are accepted for such an activity, you are paid at the per-session rate listed in the contract. Selection for most per-session activities is based upon the individual criteria established in each posting, which appear on the DOE website. If the activity you desire is specifically listed in the contract, selection is based upon your meeting the posted qualifications and your seniority in the system.

Upon completing two consecutive years of satisfactory service in the same activity, you gain “retention rights,” giving you priority for hiring in future years in the same activity. To exercise your retention rights, you must indicate on the per-session application form (most per-session applications are filed online; some still require paper applications) that you are claiming such rights and you must be applying for the same activity in the time frame specified in the posting. You can exercise your retention rights to only one activity each school year, although you can apply for more than one per-session activity during that time.

As a matter of right, you can work up to 500 per-session hours in one year (July 1 through June 30.) If you want to work more than 500 hours, you need to obtain a waiver in writing from the executive director of the Division of Human Resources.

There are certain high school extracurricular activities listed in the contract — athletic and non-athletic — that are paid based upon a maximum number of “sessions” allocated for each activity. A “session” is defined as two hours beyond the school day.

You should check the contract for the number of sessions for each activity you are interested in.

You accrue sick leave in a per-session activity on the basis of one session per 20 consecutive sessions worked. If it is not used, you must apply through your payroll secretary to have the time transferred into your Cumulative Absence Reserve.

Like regular salary, per-session pay is now pensionable, as a result of a long legal battle that the UFT won.

Also see  Cumulative Absence Reserve.