GUILFORD COUNTY SCHOOLS JOB CLASSIFICATION AND PAY PLAN

Transcription

1 GUILFORD COUNTY SCHOOLS JOB CLASSIFICATION AND PAY PLAN EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 1996 REVISED SEPTEMBER 1, 1996 REVISED MARCH 1,

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Article I. Organization of the Job Classification and Pay Plan 1 Section 1. Purpose 1 Section 2. Merit Principle 1 Article II. The Classification Plan 1 Section 1. Adoption of the Classification Plan 1 Section 2. Allocation of Positions 1 Section 3. Administration 1 Section 4. Amendment 2 Article III. The Pay Plan 2 Section 1. Adoption of the Pay Plan 2 Section 2. General Salary Increases 2 Section 3. Maintenance 3 Section 4. Administration 3 Section 5. Hiring Rate/Starting Salary 3 Section 6. Experience Criteria 4 Section 7. Progression Through the Salary Range 6 Section 8. Payment at a Listed Rate 7 Section 9. Pay Rates in Promotion, Demotion, Transfer, and Reclassification 7 Section 10. Pay Rates in Salary Range Revisions 9 Section 11. Pay for Part-Time Work 9 Section 12. Extra Duty/Extended Employment 9 Section 13. Substitute Salaries (Non-Teaching) 10 Section 14. Substitute Salaries (Teaching) 10 Section 15. Overtime 10 Section 16. Pay for Advanced Degrees 11 Section 17. Payroll Deductions 12 Section 18. Salary Appeals Process 12 Page 2

3 GUILFORD COUNTY SCHOOLS JOB CLASSIFICATION AND PAY PLAN (Effective , Revised ) ARTICLE I. ORGANIZATION OF THE JOB CLASSIFICATION AND PAY PLAN Section 1. Purpose The purpose of this plan is to establish rules for salary administration that will promote a fair, equitable, and effective means of attracting and maintaining an effective and responsible work force. Section 2. Merit Principle All appointments and promotions will be made solely on the basis of merit. All positions requiring the performance of the same duties and fulfillment of the same responsibilities will be assigned to the same class and the same salary range. No applicant for employment or employee of the Guilford County Schools will be deprived of employment opportunities or otherwise adversely affected as an employee because of such individual's race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, non-disqualifying handicap, marital status, or age. ARTICLE II. THE CLASSIFICATION PLAN Section 1. Adoption of the Classification Plan The position classification plan, as from time to time approved by the Board of Education, is hereby adopted as the position classification plan for the Guilford County Schools. Section 2. Allocation of Positions The Chief Human Resource Officer or his/her designee will allocate each position covered by the classification plan to its appropriate class in the plan. Section 3. Administration 1. The Chief Human Resource Officer will be responsible for the administration and maintenance of the position classification plan so that it will accurately reflect the duties performed by employees in the classes to which their positions are allocated. Department heads/principals will be responsible for bringing to the attention of the Chief Human Resource Officer (1) requests for new positions and (2) proposed material changes in the nature of duties, responsibilities, or working conditions that significantly affects a position's job description and/or classification. 2. Proposed new or reconstituted positions will require the completion of a "New/Change in Position" (PS-32) form and a comprehensive position questionnaire. Once completed, the 3

4 position will be analyzed and an appropriate salary grade assigned. Once the salary grade assignment is approved by the Chief Human Resource Officer, appropriate parties will be notified in writing. Section 4. Amendment Positions will be added to and deleted from the position classification plan following approval by the Chief Human Resource Officer, based on actions of the Board of Education and/or administrative actions to create, delete, or reallocate positions under the authority of the superintendent. ARTICLE III. THE PAY PLAN Section 1. Adoption of the Pay Plan The salary schedules, reflecting both grade level and step, as approved by the Board of Education based on the tenets below, and set forth in Appendix A, are hereby adopted as the pay plans for the Guilford County Schools. Section 2. General Salary Increases 1. For licensed personnel, when the North Carolina General Assembly enacts and funds general salary increases, base pay rates of licensed employees assigned to a Teachers and Pupil Support Services Salary Schedule or School-Based Administrator Salary Schedule will be increased in accordance with the State Salary Schedule - North Carolina Public School Personnel, as adopted by the North Carolina State Board of Education on the effective date prescribed therein. 2. The Chief Human Resource Officer in concert with the Chief Finance Officer will prepare and recommend to the Superintendent and the Board of Education amended salary schedules to reflect the base rate increases granted licensed employees by the General Assembly and to reflect the budgeted increases in supplements and all other salary schedules. 3. For the Master Salary Schedule and the Bus Driver Salary Schedule, in administering the Board's policy to implement an experience step increase as a part of every general increase, the following formula will be used to determine the percentage that is added to each step on the applicable schedule: Percent of General Assembly enacted Salary Increase less (-) the Percent Between Pay Steps. If the formula yields a negative result, then no experience step increase is possible and the entire General Assembly enacted salary increase is added to each step on the salary schedule. (Example 1: If the General Assembly authorizes a three (3) percent general salary increase, a 1.5% step increase would be granted to all eligible employees assigned to the Master Salary Schedule, and every step on the Master Salary Schedule would be increased by the remaining 1.5% (3% - 1.5%); a 1% step increase would be granted to all eligible employees assigned to the Bus Driver Salary Schedule, and every step on the Bus Driver 4

5 Salary Schedule would be increased by the remaining 2% (3% - 1%): Example 2: If the General Assembly authorizes a one (1) percent general salary increase, a 1.5% step increase would not be possible for employees assigned to the Master Salary Schedule (1% - 1.5% = -.5%), and every step on the Master Salary Schedule would be increased by 1%; a 1% step increase would be granted to all eligible employees assigned to the Bus Driver Salary Schedule (1% - 1%), and the Bus Driver Salary Schedule would receive no increase.) Section 3. Maintenance The Chief Human Resource Officer will be responsible for the administration and maintenance of the pay plan. The pay plan provides equitable compensation for all positions when considered in relation to each other, to general rates of pay for similar employment in the private and public sector in the area, to changes in the cost of living, to financial conditions of the Guilford County Schools, and to other objective factors. Any changes in the pay plan will be reported to the Board of Education on an annual basis. Section 4. Administration The pay plan will be administered in a fair and systematic manner in accordance with work performed. The pay structure will be externally competitive, will maintain proper internal relationships among all positions based on relative duties and responsibilities, and will recognize experience as the basis for pay increases within the established pay range. Section 5. Hiring Rate/Starting Salary 1. Teachers and Other Licensed Personnel Assigned to State Salary Schedules (a) (b) (c) Teachers and others paid on the teacher and/or state salary schedules will be placed on the schedule and step certified by the Licensure Section within the State Department of Public Instruction. Supplement amounts and specific procedures are provided in Appendix A. Retroactive payments, if necessary, will be in accordance with the rules and regulations promulgated by the State Department of Public Instruction. Generally, if no license has been issued prior to employment, the teacher (or other person paid on the teacher salary schedule) will be paid at the appropriate substitute rate until a license has been obtained. If it is determined that the employee has fulfilled all requirements for the issuance of a license and the issuance is delayed through no fault of the employee, he/she may be placed at A-00 until a license has been obtained. 2. Employees in positions that do not require an educator license that are assigned to the Master Salary Schedule. Generally, new employees will be initially placed at the minimum (Step 0) of the pay grade that is appropriate for the position. New employees 5

6 in positions that do not require an educator license that are assigned to the Master Salary Schedule that sufficiently verify previous work experience may receive up to a maximum of fifteen (15) years credit for experience in accordance with the provisions set forth for experience criteria in Section 6.1. of this Article. Appointments above Step 15 may be made when deemed necessary to the best interests of the Guilford County Schools, based on such factors as superior qualifications of the applicant, a shortage of qualified applicants, etc. 3. Employees in positions that require an educator license that are assigned to the Master Salary Schedule. New employees in positions that require an educator license or a professional license such as Nursing, Occupational Therapy, or Physical Therapy that are assigned to the Master Salary Schedule that sufficiently verify previous work experience may receive credit for all experience in accordance with the provisions set forth for experience criteria in Section 6.1. of this Article. 4. New employees assigned to the Bus Driver Salary Schedule that sufficiently verify previous work experience may receive experience credit up to the maximum of the Bus Driver Salary Schedule in accordance with the provisions set forth for experience criteria in Section 6.2. of this Article. Section 6. Experience Criteria for Employees assigned to the Master Salary Schedule 1. Except for positions where educational licenses are required and on which the State establishes the experience credit to be awarded, the following guidelines will be used to determine the initial step placement of new employees assigned to the Master Salary Schedule based on verified previous work experience: (a) (b) (c) Experience Calculation Date - Previous work experience will be cumulative to the end of the previous fiscal year. The fiscal year currently begins July 1 and ends June 30. Any work experience accumulated in the current fiscal year will be considered in determining if an employee is eligible to receive an experience step at the beginning of the next fiscal year. Effective Date of Salary Adjustment - Previous experience that is sufficiently verified within sixty (60) days of employment will be considered in the salary placement and effective retroactively to the employee's hire date. Previous experience that is sufficiently verified after sixty (60) days of employment will be considered in the salary placement but will be effective from the first day of the pay period within which the experience verification is received in the Human Resources Department, not retroactive to the employee's hire date. Full-Time Service - Full-time previous work experience is defined as experience in a position regularly scheduled to work thirty (30) hours or more per week. This is calculated at one-for-one (1/1) in any of the experience categories (one (1) month credit for every month of full-time experience). 6

7 (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) (j) Part-Time Service - Part-time previous work experience is defined as experience in a position regularly scheduled to work at least fifteen (15) hours per week, and less than thirty (30) hours per week. This is calculated at one-half (1/2) in any of the experience categories (one (1) month credit for every two (2) months of part-time experience). Any previous work experience in a position scheduled to work less than fifteen (15) hours per week does not count in any of the experience categories. This portion of the experience credit should be calculated prior to the calculation for "In-District Non-Related." Volunteer Service - Previous work experience as a volunteer does not count in any of the experience categories. Interim/Substitute Service - Previous work experience as an interim or substitute employee does not count in any of the experience categories, unless the experience is on a continuous basis for at least three (3) months. Rounding - All experience is calculated in months, summed, divided by twelve, then rounded to the nearest year. (Example: forty-five (45) months (45/12) = 3 years and 9 months = 4 years credit; forty-one (41) months (41/12) = 3 years and 5 months = 3 years credit.) For ten month positions, adjustments will be made to recognize the experience proportionately. (Example for a person who has served in a ten month school position: forty-five (45) months (45/10) = 4 years and 5 months = 5 years credit; forty-one (41) months (41/10) = 4 years and 1 months = 4 years credit.) In-District Related Experience - Previous work experience in the consolidated Guilford County Schools or the former Guilford County, Greensboro City, or High Point City Schools in a position that directly relates to the currently assigned position. In the case of "administrators," any management and/or supervisory experience is included as well as non-administrator/supervisor experience which is strictly related to the technical skills needed for the present position (eg. computer programming for D.P. administrator, accounting for financial administrator). This is calculated at one-for-one (one (1) month credit for every month of full-time equivalent experience). Out-of-District Related Experience - Previous work experience outside of the consolidated Guilford County Schools, or the former Guilford County, Greensboro City, or High Point City Schools, in a position that directly relates to the currently assigned position. In the case of "administrators," only management and/or supervisory experience is included. This is calculated at one-for-one (one (1) month credit for every month of full-time equivalent experience). In-District Non-Related Experience - Previous work experience in the consolidated Guilford County Schools or the former Guilford County, Greensboro City, or High Point City Schools in a position that does not directly relate to the 7

8 currently assigned position. This is calculated at one-half (1/2) (one (1) month of credit for every two (2) months of experience). (k) Double Credit - An employee can not earn more than one (1) year of experience credit in a twelve (12) month period. (Example: An employee that has worked a fulltime job and a part-time job at the same time for 12 months will not be credited with 18 months of experience) 2. The following guidelines will be used to determine the initial step placement of new bus drivers assigned to the Bus Driver Salary Schedule based on verified previous work experience: (a) (b) Subsections a, b, e, and k above apply to the salary placement of bus drivers. Previous work experience as a bus driver inside or outside of the Guilford County Schools is credited at one-for-one (year-for-year) basis when: i) The bus driver position was a permanent position, and ii) The employee was employed at least 120 working days of the school year. (c) (d) Other related experience, explained and recommended by the Operations Supervisor and/or the Transportation Director may be considered and approved by the Compensation Office. In-District Non-Related experience does not count in the determination of a bus driver's step placement. Section 7. Progression Through the Salary Range In accordance with State law and regulations, experience step increments for licensed personnel are granted annually, unless frozen by legislative action. Generally, employees assigned to the Master Salary Schedule or Bus Driver Salary Schedule will advance one step on the assigned salary grade for completion of each year of satisfactory service until he/she reaches the maximum of the salary range (See ARTICLE III. Section 2. General Salary Increases). Employees meeting any one of the following criteria on July 1 will advance one step on the assigned salary grade. Assuming that legislative action provides for this, experience step increments, when granted, will be effective on the employee's first working day following July Employees who satisfactorily complete the equivalent of fifty percent of the normal term of employment for the position to which assigned will advance to the next step of the assigned salary grade. (Example: An employee assigned to a 10-month position must complete at least 5 months of satisfactory employment; an employee assigned to a 12-month position must complete at least 6 months of satisfactory employment.) 8

9 2. Employees who have experience credit for the current fiscal year equivalent to at least fifty percent of the normal term of employment for the position to which assigned will advance to the next step of the assigned salary grade. This can include any combination of the experience categories defined in Section 6. (Example: An employee is hired in April and is placed at step 2 based on experience credit accumulated through June 30 of the previous year. The employee continued in a related job from July 1 of the previous year to March 30 of the current year. Although the employee would have completed only 3 months of service with the Guilford County Schools, he/she would have accumulated a total of 12 months of experience credit during the current fiscal year.) Section 8. Payment at a Listed Rate All employees covered by the salary plan will be paid at a rate within the salary ranges established for their respective job classes except for employees whose present salaries are frozen following transition to a new pay plan. These salaries will remain frozen until the employee's experience and the progression of the salary schedule yields a rate that is equal to or greater than the employee's frozen salary. When an employee attains the maximum rate of a salary range for his or her present position, no further salary increase will be received unless: (a) (b) (c) (d) the position is reclassified, the employee is promoted to another position with a higher salary range, the salary range for the present position is increased, or it is mandated through legislative action. Section 9. Pay Rates in Promotion, Demotion, Transfer, and Reclassification When an employee is promoted, demoted, or transferred, or a position is reclassified, the rate of pay for the employee in the new position will be established as follows: a) For those assigned to the Master Salary Schedule, a promotion is defined as the reassignment of an employee to a position or classification having a higher salary range than the position or the classification from which the reassignment is made. When a promotion occurs, the employee's salary will be increased according to the following: i) If the promotion is to a related position, the employee will maintain his/her current step level in the higher salary range. ii) If the promotion is to a non-related position, the employee will receive a five (5) percent increase and be placed on the closest step in the higher salary range. Then the employee's previous experience will be evaluated in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 6.1. of this Article, and the employee's salary will be established at the higher of the above or the reevaluation. (b) For those assigned to the Master Salary Schedule, a demotion is defined as the reassignment 9

10 of an employee to a position or a classification having a lower salary range than the position or the classification from which the reassignment is made. This includes disciplinary demotion, voluntary reassignment, and involuntary reassignment. When a demotion occurs the employee's salary will be decreased according to the following unless another procedure is provided by law or contract: i.) If the demotion is to a related position, the employee will maintain his/her current step level in the lower salary range. ii.) If the demotion is to a non-related position, the employee will receive a five (5) percent decrease and be placed on the closest step in the lower salary range. Then the employee's previous experience will be evaluated in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 6.1. of this Article, and the employee's salary will be established at the lower of the above or the reevaluation. (c) A transfer is defined as the reassignment of an employee from a position in one class to a position in another class assigned to the same salary range. When a transfer occurs the employee s salary will be established according to the following: i.) If the transfer is to a related position, the employee will maintain his/her current step level in the salary range. ii.) If the transfer is to a non-related position, the employee's previous experience will be evaluated in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 6.1. of this Article, and the employee's salary will be established based on their previous experience. (d) (e) A reclassification is defined as the reassignment of an existing position from one class to another based on changes in job content. Reclassifications occur only after prior approval via the Personnel Department of significant job description changes. Promotion, demotion, and transfer procedures set forth in this section will be used in the administration of upward, downward, and lateral reclassifications. Any salary adjustments necessitated by promotion, demotion or position reclassification will be effective on the date of the actual appointment to the new position. 2. EMPLOYEES MOVING TO THE BUS DRIVER SALARY SCHEDULE OR THE MASTER SALARY SCHEDULE (a) (b) Any current employee hired into a Bus Driver position will have his/her step placement calculated in accordance with the procedures outlined in Section 6.2. Any employee currently assigned to a salary schedule other than the Master Salary Schedule that is hired into a position allocated to the Master Salary Schedule will have his/her step placement calculated in accordance with the procedures outlined in Sections 5.2.(a) and 6.1. of this Article. This includes employees filling two parttime positions, with at least one of the positions assigned to a salary schedule other than the Master Salary Schedule. 10

11 Section 10. Pay Rates in Salary Range Revisions If the Board of Education approves a change in salary range for a class of positions, the salaries of employees whose positions are allocated to that class will be affected as follows: 1. When a class of positions is assigned to a higher salary range, employees in that class will retain their current step level in the revised salary range. 2. When a class of positions is assigned to a lower salary range, the salaries of employees in that class will remain unchanged. If this assignment to a lower salary range results in an employee being paid at a rate above the maximum established for the new class, the salary of the employee will be maintained at his or her current level until such time as the salary range of the class is increased above the employee's current salary. Section 11. Pay for Part-Time Work Compensation of any employee appointed for less than full-time service will be computed on a prorata basis for hours worked. These employees will be covered by Workers' Compensation and Social Security, and will receive other fringe benefits as determined by the Board of Education and state law. Section 12. Extra Duty/Extended Employment Only employees who have been classified as "Exempt" from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) are eligible to be employed for Extra-Duty Employment. Employment of "Non-Exempt" employees would constitute an overtime situation, which is addressed in Section 15 of this Article. 1. Extra-Duty. Eligible employees performing activities included on the Extra-Duty Compensation Schedule will be paid according to the terms and conditions of that schedule (Appendix B). An "Agreement for Extended Employment" must be completed for each activity. 2. Extended Employment. Eligible employees working in an extended capacity will be paid on an hourly basis. This rate of pay will be calculated based on the employee's regular monthly salary from all fund sources. An "Agreement for Extended Employment" must be completed for each activity. "Non-Exempt" employees working in an extended capacity will be compensated at overtime rates according to the provisions outlined in Section of this Article. Section 13. Substitute Salaries (Non-Teaching) 11

12 Any individual employed as a substitute will be paid on an hourly basis. The rate of pay will be the minimum salary (Step 0) at one salary grade below that of the position for which the substitute is employed. (Example: A substitute is employed for a position assigned to salary grade 55. The substitute would be paid at the minimum (Step 0) of salary grade 54.) Retired employees of the Guilford County Schools or its predecessor districts may be employed as substitutes and compensated at a rate up to Step 15 of the salary grade below that of the position for which he or she is employed as a substitute. The substitute's step level, not to exceed Step 15, should be calculated using the "In-District Related" experience category in accordance with the provisions set forth in Section 6.1. of this Article. Any exceptions to this procedure will be through the Office of the Chief Human Resource Officer. Any individual employed as a substitute bus driver will be paid an hourly rate equal to one (1) percent below the minimum (BD-00) of the Bus Driver Salary Schedule. This is listed on the Bus Driver Salary Schedule as the "Sub-Rate." Section 14. Substitute Salaries (Teaching) Any individual employed as a substitute in a teaching position will be paid in accordance with the State of North Carolina's laws, rules, and regulations. Section 15. Overtime Guilford County Schools abides by all applicable sections of the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Fair Labor Standards Amendments of The Guilford County Schools will properly record all applicable overtime accrued for each covered employee. This overtime policy is applicable to all employees of the Guilford County Schools who are covered under the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The school district's intention is to assure good faith compliance with FLSA to the extent applicable to the Guilford County Schools. 1. Exempt - All employees classified as "Exempt" from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act are paid for the accomplishment of assigned accountabilities rather than being paid for the number of hours worked in a work week. For example, a full-time exempt employee would be expected to work a 40 hour week at a minimum. Hours in excess of 40 by an exempt employee performing work that is usual and customary is considered "accomplishment of assigned accountabilities" for which there is no additional compensation whether in time off or pay. 2. Non-Exempt - All employees classified as "Non-Exempt" from the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act must be paid for overtime hours worked or given compensatory time off. Overtime is paid or compensatory time given to non-exempt employees for hours in excess of 40 actually worked in a work week. However, work schedules can be reduced within a week to offset extra hours worked earlier in the week so as not to exceed 40 and thereby avoid an "overtime" situation. The work week begins Saturday at 12:01 a.m. and ends on Friday at 12:00 p.m. (midnight). 12

13 3. Approval to Work Overtime - No overtime hours will be worked by non-exempt employees unless approved in advance by the employee's Department Head and, when for overtime pay, by the divisional Associate/Deputy Superintendent who is responsible to budget for such expenses. Work by a non-exempt employee which has not been requested by management but is nonetheless endured or permitted is still considered work time by FLSA. Therefore, no non-exempt employee will voluntarily work prior to or after regularly scheduled hours, because such time would be considered overtime when in excess of 40 hours in the work week, even though the work had not been specifically authorized. Supervisors/Department Heads are responsible for ensuring that overtime hours are authorized, recorded, and properly documented for compensatory time off or overtime pay in accordance with the established record keeping forms and instructions. Non-exempt employees working beyond the normal work week without specific approval, and supervisors who permit this, will be subject to disciplinary action. 4. Overtime Rates for Non-Exempt Employees - When overtime is paid, it is at the rate of 1 1/2 times the employee's regular hourly equivalent salary rate for those hours worked in excess of 40 in one work week and/or when compensatory time exceeds 240 hours and or upon the employee's separation from service. If an employee is regularly scheduled to work a 40 hour work week then his/her regular hourly equivalent salary rate is calculated by dividing an annualized 12 month full-time salary by 2080 hours. Annual full-time salary / 2080 = regular hourly rate Overtime pay = regular hourly rate x 1 1/2 x overtime hours If an employee is regularly scheduled to work a 37.5 hour work week then his/her regular hourly equivalent salary rate is calculated by dividing an annualized 12 month full-time salary by 1950 hours. Annual full-time salary / 1950 = regular hourly rate Overtime pay = regular hourly rate x 1 1/2 x overtime hours Ten month employees will require additional calculations in order to properly establish their annualized hourly rates. Section 16. Pay for Advanced Degrees 1. Teachers who earn advanced degrees or doctorate degrees in their area of work will be moved to the appropriate higher salary schedule at their current step. 2. Employees, other than teachers and others whose contracts have different provisions, holding certification levels beyond the master's degree will receive an additional $126 per 13

14 month for State-certified advanced degree license or an additional $253 per month for a State-certified doctorate degree license. These must be specifically related to the employee's current assignment. Section 17. Payroll Deductions Federal and State income taxes, Social Security tax, and retirement contributions, tax liens and the like will be payroll deducted as authorized by law and the Board of Education. No other payroll deductions from employee's pay for contributions to charitable or other organizations will be made without the request of the employee, prior approval, and in accordance with locally established procedures. Section 18. Salary Appeals Process Employees assigned to the Master Salary Schedule or the Bus Driver Salary Schedule may appeal step placement. Employees assigned to the Master Salary Schedule may appeal the results of a job classification review. The following guidelines will govern the appeal process: 1. Appeals may be lodged only once within a fiscal year by any employee. 2. Appeals must be presented on forms available from the Human Resource Office. 3. Any salary change will be effective from the first day of the pay period within which the appeal is received in the Human Resource Office. 4. Initial appeal determinations will be made by the Human Resource staff and implemented unless appealed further. 5. A step placement or position classification appealed beyond the Human Resource staff determination will be heard by a committee including representatives of the Human Resource Department, Administrative Services, Financial Services, School Support, and Education Program Services divisions of the school district. If needed, the committee may request the employee to visit with the committee. Committee recommendations will be subject to final administrative approval. 14

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