REGULATION ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Transcription

1 Page 1 of 8 REGULATION ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Related Entries: Policy Responsible Office: HUMAN RESOURCES A. PURPOSE SALARIES UNITS I-IV To establish procedures governing the placement and movement of Units I, II, III and IV employees on salary scales. B. DEFINITIONS 1. Unit I employee means any employee eligible for membership in the Teachers Association of Anne Arundel County (TAAAC). 2. Unit II employee means any employee eligible for membership in the Association of Educational Leaders (AEL). 3. Unit III employee means any employee eligible for membership in the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Local 1693 (AFSCME). 4. Unit IV employee means any employee eligible for membership in the Secretaries and Assistants Association of Anne Arundel County (SAAAAC). 5. Experience Credit means credit for years of service with a previous employer (including the Anne Arundel County Public Schools) awarded upon employment or re-employment with the Anne Arundel County Public Schools for purposes of placement on the applicable salary scale. 6. Negotiated Agreement means the collective bargaining agreement in effect at the time for a particular employee organization. Where the language of a Negotiated Agreement conflicts with these regulations, the language of the Negotiated Agreement shall prevail. 7. Pay Grade means the range of pay for a particular position, from the minimum salary step to the maximum salary step in the range, excluding longevity.

2 Page 2 of 8 C. INITIAL PLACEMENT 1. All employees in Units I and II shall be awarded experience credit and placed on the salary scale in accordance with the terms of the applicable Negotiated Agreement. 2. All employees in Units III and IV shall be awarded experience credit and placed on the salary scale in accordance with the procedures set forth below: a. New Employees i. When a Unit III or IV position is staffed by a new employee, appointments will normally be made at the minimum rate of the appropriate pay grade. However, if the Division of Human Resources agrees that it is in the best interest of the Board, credit may be allowed for pertinent related experience, training, or skills over and above the minimum requirements. This credit may be used to justify employment at a rate above the minimum pay for that job group or pay grade. ii. Applicants for employment will be given full credit for comparable previous experience up to and including the minimum required for the position that was full- or part-time and regular gained with a firm, company, or organization (excluding self-employment and employment in a family business). directly related to the position to be filled. Part-time employment will be prorated. In the event that it is necessary to pay a new employee above the minimum salary of a grade, the employee may not be paid a salary within the grade to which the position is classified that is 10% more than the employee s previous salary unless recommended by the hiring manager and approved in writing by the Director of Human Resources. b. Former Employees i. Applicants who have been satisfactorily employed by the Board may be placed at the same step they were on previously if reemployed in their former grade. If they are rehired in a higher pay grade, they shall be treated as a new employee but provided all service credit previously earned with AACPS. c. Credit will be given only for previous experience that is:

3 Page 3 of 8 i. full-time/part-time and regular (an exception will be made for temporary employment with the Board in a position to which an employee is ultimately appointed on a regular basis); ii. iv. part-time employment will be prorated; gained with a firm, company, or organization; and directly related to the position to be filled. D. SPECIAL PAY 1. Emergency Call-in: a. Unit III employees shall report to work on an emergency basis in accordance with the terms of the applicable Negotiated Agreement. b. Any full-time Unit IV employee who is directed by appropriate authority to report back to work on an emergency assignment which is not contiguous with the regular work schedule will be paid at the applicable hourly rate for all hours of work on such assignment of the employee. 2. Night Shift and Weekend Differential Pay will be paid in accordance with the Negotiated Agreement. However, the provisions of this section will not apply to employees called in on emergency assignments nor to employees on overtime work unless they are entitled to the night shift or weekend rate. 3. Overtime Pay a. Unit III and IV employees may be authorized or directed to work overtime in accordance with the applicable Negotiated Agreement and/or the Fair Labor Standards Act. Overtime work by an employee without proper authorization is insubordination. E. RECLASSIFICATION OF POSITIONS 1. When a Unit III or IV position is reclassified to a different grade and the rate of pay applicable to the position is: a. increased, the employee shall be placed on the same step in the new grade. b. decreased, the employee will remain at the same salary and the employee shall not be eligible for any pay increase so long as the pay is at or above the maximum of the new pay grade.

4 Page 4 of 8 2. In no event will an employee be paid at rates lower than the minimum rate of the adjusted grade. F. MOVEMENT ON THE SALARY SCALE 1. Salary increases applied to a unit of employees (such as an annual COLA ) will be applied starting with the pay period that begins closest to, but prior to, the effective date of the increase. 2. Within-grade increases are provided to Unit III or IV employees based on a combination of satisfactory work performance, length of service, and availability of funds. 3. An employee whose overall work performance is rated unsatisfactory shall receive no pay increase, neither a step-increment, longevity, nor a general wage increase. Specifically, the pay will remain the same. 4. An employee who has an increment withheld for six months may be subject to immediate termination after a 6- month re-evaluation period if performance remains unsatisfactory. 5. Promotional increases in the previous year will not jeopardize annual withingrade increases. a. Each 12-month employee who has not reached the maximum step of the grade may be eligible for an annual within-grade increase at the beginning of the fiscal year until the maximum of the pay grade is achieved. b. Each ten-month employee may be eligible for an annual within-grade increase at the beginning of the school year until the maximum of the pay grade is achieved. c. Performance Evaluation i. The overall work performance of each newly hired Unit III employee shall be formally evaluated by the immediate supervisor prior to six months of continuous employment and at least annually thereafter. Major emphasis will be placed on the evaluation of services rendered, including work performance, attendance, punctuality, ability to work with other employees, and attitude. ii. The overall work performance of each newly hired Unit IV employee shall be formally evaluated in accordance with the terms of the Negotiated Agreement.

5 Page 5 of 8 iv. A conference will be held at the time of the evaluation. Provisions will be made for an overall rating that indicates satisfactory or unsatisfactory performance, which will be recorded on the appropriate classified employee's performance rating sheet. The written evaluation will be reviewed with the employee at the time of the conference. At that time, the employee shall sign the report and receive a copy. The signature of the employee signifies only that the rating has been shown to and discussed with the employee, and that the employee has had an opportunity to read it. The employee may communicate any disagreement or reaction to the rating by submitting a written statement that will be attached to the file copy and become part of the evaluation report. G. PROMOTION 1. When a Unit III or IV employee is promoted to a higher grade position, the employee will receive the salary of the step within the new grade that is nearest to but greater than the salary of the step above the one the employee was on immediately before the promotion. 2. If the promotion is to a position that is two or more grades higher, the employee will receive the salary of the step within the new grade that is nearest to but greater than the salary two steps above the one the employee was on immediately before the promotion. H. DEMOTION 1. Involuntary a. When a Unit III employee is involuntarily demoted, if the salary of the highest step of the new grade is lower than the present salary, the salary of that step of the new grade will prevail. b. When a Unit IV employee is involuntarily demoted, the procedure included in the Negotiated Agreement shall be followed. c. No involuntary demotion will become effective without the approval of the department head. 2. Voluntary: When a Unit III or IV employee requests a demotion voluntarily from a position in one class to a position in another class in a lower grade, the pay rate in the new position will be adjusted to the step in the new grade closest to a 10% decrease including earned longevity.

6 Page 6 of 8 I. SALARY ADJUSTMENT 1. When the position of an employee is abolished, the Division of Human Resources will make an effort to transfer the employee to another position of the same or lower grade. The salary of the employee placed in a lower grade will not be reduced for a period of one year. After one year, the salary will be treated as a demotion 2. When an employee does not meet the minimum qualifications for a position, the salary of the employee will be decreased or adjusted to the grade less than the grade for the position until such time as the employee meets the minimum qualifications of the position. When the qualifications are attained, the employee shall be placed in the new grade on the step closest to but higher than their current hourly rate. J. PAYROLL ERRORS 1. Expectations a. All employees have a role to ensure employees receive the correct pay for time worked: b. Payroll staff will make every effort to ensure accurate processing of payroll. Payroll will employ the use of payroll audit reporting to capture any data entry errors that could result in an overpayment or underpayment. i. Supervisors and managers will make every effort to ensure the Division of Human Resources and the Payroll Department have pertinent information and that pay and absence information is accurate and submitted in a timely way. Managers providing second-level approval for time sheets or overtime sheets will ensure they are submitted to Payroll in advance of the payroll cut off. (a) (b) Employees will review each pay voucher and report any overpayment or underpayment immediately. Overpayments will be collected from employees in accordance with the procedures set forth below. c. All underpayments will be paid to the employee. i. Underpayments resulting from late time sheets, leave or overtime sheets will be corrected on the next payroll processed after the time sheet, leave or overtime sheet is received in Payroll.

7 Page 7 of 8 ii. Underpayments resulting from errors made more than thirty (30) days prior to discovery, must be documented in an Employee Overpayment/Underpayment Reconciliation and Disposition Form. A Supplemental (off cycle) pay will be generated in cases of payroll department or banking error. 2. Overpayment Procedure a. When an overpayment has been identified, by either a payroll employee or any other employee, it is to be reported immediately to the Payroll Manager or to the Director of Human Resources. b. The Payroll Manager will determine the basis for the overpayment and the amount and will document the facts and circumstances on the Employee Overpayment/Underpayment Reconciliation and Disposition form. The original form with backup documentation will be retained in the payroll department, and a copy will be filed in the employee s Official Personnel File. c. Generally, overpayments will be reversed (deducted) in the next paycheck. d. To prevent a hardship, if the overpayment exceeds one-third of the employee s gross pay, it may be recouped in installments not to exceed beyond four (4) pay periods. Any overpayment that can reasonably be collected without extending the collection beyond the calendar tax year shall be collected to avoid tax complications. e. The Director of Human Resources is authorized to deviate from the overpayment procedure above. Such action will be documented in a written agreement signed by the employee and the Director of Human Resources. The signed agreement must be attached to the Employee Overpayment/Underpayment Reconciliation and Disposition form and maintained in payroll records and the Official Personnel File (OPF). f. If the employee is dismissed or resigns or retires from the school system prior to full repayment of an overpayment, the balance will become immediately due and payable. Salary or wages or any other amount still due to the employee shall be applied toward the balance (e.g., accumulated leave, etc.). g. If the employee leaves the school system prior to full repayment of an overpayment and a balance remains after thirty (30) calendar days from the last date of employment with the Board, the Board will seek redress in the applicable court of law.

8 Page 8 of 8 3. Underpayment Procedure a. When an underpayment is reported, payroll staff will determine the basis for the underpayment and the amount. The payroll department will document the event on the Employee Overpayment/Underpayment Reconciliation and Disposition form. The original form with documentation will be retained in the payroll department and a copy will be filed in the employee s OPF. b. Generally, underpayments from errors made less than thirty (30) days prior to the report will be corrected on the next paycheck. c. If the underpayment due to the employee exceeds $10,000.00, it may be repaid in installments not to exceed beyond four (4) pay periods. Repayment that can reasonably be paid without extending the repayment beyond the calendar tax year shall be paid to avoid tax complications. d. The Director of Human Resources is authorized to deviate from the underpayment procedure above. Such action will be documented in a written agreement signed by the employee and the Director of Human Resources. The signed agreement must be attached to the Employee Overpayment/Underpayment Reconciliation and Disposition form and maintained in payroll records and the OPF. e. If the employee is dismissed or resigns or retires from the school system prior to full repayment of an underpayment, the remaining balance will be paid with the final paycheck. Regulation History: Developed by Superintendent 1/4/06. Reviewed by Board of Education 1/4/06. Issued 3/1/06. Note previous regulation history: None.