I.    POLICY STATEMENT

Selection and placement of competent reserve teachers in the Minnetonka School District is essential to ensuring coverage of classrooms in the absence of regular teachers. The continuity of programs and curriculum implementation is also affected by the quality of the reserve teachers available for teaching assignments. The District Human Resources office will develop a system to provide for reserve teachers and will work together with building administrators to assure an effective deployment of reserve teachers.

II.    DEFINITIONS

Reserve teacher – a licensed teacher who meets the qualifications as defined by the State Board of Teaching, the Minnesota Department of Education, and who has been approved by the Minnetonka School District Human Resources Department for assignments in the district.

III.    REGULATIONS

1. The recruitment, selection and general supervision of reserve teachers and the administration of the reserve teacher policy shall be the responsibility of the Executive Director of Human Resources.
    
   1. The building principals shall determine if a reserve teacher is necessary when a teacher is absent and shall be responsible for the daily supervision of reserve teachers within the building.
       
2. The reserve teacher shall hold a valid Minnesota teacher license.
    
   1. It is the policy of the District that, whenever possible, the reserve teacher shall be assigned to teach in the licensed major or minor area.
       
   2. Consistent with Minnesota licensing requirements, the reserve teacher must teach only in the licensed major or minor area for assignments longer than 15 days.
       
3. Orientation.
    
   1. The District shall conduct a general orientation for those reserve teachers who desire it prior to the start of the school year. The District shall also provide a Reserve Teacher Handbook for each reserve teacher placed on the district roster.
       
   2. Building principals shall be responsible for the orientation of reserve teachers within the building.
       
4. The working day for a reserve teacher shall normally be the same as the working day for the regular teacher whom they replace.
    
5. Remuneration.
    
   1. The Board shall periodically review the respective pay rates and adjust as they shall determine.
       
      1. Except as indicated in E 1.2 below, the daily salary received shall be computed as a proportion of the basic daily casual rate in accordance with the number of hours worked.
          
      2. When reserve teaching services are provided by an individual who is otherwise regularly employed in the District in another capacity, payment for reserve teaching services which occur outside the individual's regular employment shall be compensated at the designated rate for such service.
          
   2. After reserve teaching five (5) days at the same assignment, the reserve teacher shall be paid on a long-term basis, which shall be the first step of the salary schedule (BA Lane 1, Step 1), beginning on the sixth day in the assignment.
       
      1. When it is known in advance by the employer that the teaching assignment will extend beyond five days, the reserve teacher may be paid on the long-term basis beginning on the first day of the assignment, at the discretion of the Superintendent or designee.
          
   3. Long-Term Substitute Contract
       
      1. Long-term substitute teacher contract shall be issued under the following circumstances:
          
         1. When it is known in advance by the employer that the teacher's absence will exceed thirty (30) working days; or
             
         2. When a long-term assignment extends past thirty (30) working days and the return of the classroom teacher is not imminent. In this event, the long-term substitute teacher contract shall be effective as of the thirty-first (31st) consecutive day of the assignment.
             
      2.  Payment under a long-term substitute contract shall be at the lane and step agreed to by the District and the teacher, taking into consideration relevant education and teaching experience. The final decision on placement shall be made by the District.

IV.    REFERENCE TO CURRENT RATES

1. All days worked on a daily casual or long-term, non-contract basis, or on a contract basis, shall be counted in determining the number of days worked as a reserve teacher during the school year.
    
2. Tenured Minnetonka teachers who have retired from or otherwise left the employment of the District in good standing shall receive a differential rate established by the Board.
    
3. For teachers who work at least thirty-five (35) days but less than sixty-one (61), the rate of pay shall be at a differential established by the Board. For teachers who work at least sixty-one (61) days, the rate of pay shall be at a differential established by the Board.
    
4. For teachers who work at least thirty-five (35) days in a given school year, but have already earned the sixty-one (61) day rate by the conclusion of the previous school year, the rate of pay shall be a differential established by the Board.
    
5. A Reserve teacher assigned a greater than normal class load shall receive additional compensation at a rate set by the Board.

V.    FRINGE BENEFITS

With the exception of teachers employed under the conditions of Section 3 above, reserve teachers are not eligible for fringe benefit programs. Those teachers receiving long-term substitute contracts under Section 3 would qualify for benefits only if the thresholds in the regular teacher bargaining agreement are met.

VI.    SCHOOL CANCELLATIONS

When school is cancelled due to weather or other factors, communication with staff and with the public shall be in accord with District policy. A school cancellation automatically discontinues the need for services for the reserve teacher. No compensation will be provided to the reserve teacher in these circumstances.