PACT Charter School

Original Creation Date: June 10, 1996
Last Approved By: PACT Charter School Board of Directors
Last Approved Date: July 11, 2024
Year Reviewed: 2024-2025

PURPOSE

PACT Charter School wants to ensure that all employees are compensated similarly to their peers, by their educational achievement, and years of experience. To accomplish this, the salary schedule will be evaluated at a minimum every three years and revised as appropriate by the Human Resource department. Recommendations will be reviewed by the Budget and Finance Committee and approved by the School Board.

SALARIES

Teacher salaries are determined by the currently approved PACT Charter School Teacher's Salary Matrix. Some subject areas that require additional education or hard to find licensure may be granted additional compensation.

PACT Charter School does not offer payroll advances.

LANE CHANGE ADVANCEMENT

Returning teachers may be eligible for lane change advancement upon completion of 15+ credits beyond a bachelor's degree that applies to the current position or a Master's degree (MA). Application for lane change advancement needs to be accompanied by an official transcript(s) covering the total credits being used for the lane advancement. Lane change advancement will occur after the degree has been conferred, and all transcripts and proper documentation have been completed. The primary purpose of the 15++ and MA Lane is to encourage teachers to complete academic study, which enhances their content-area knowledge and instructional skills. The MA should be in the subject the teacher teaches, education, curriculum, instruction, or a similar concentration normally offered through the graduate program of a college of education.

Course work primarily intended to prepare a teacher for another profession or trade outside of education will not be applied toward any lane change. Exceptions may be granted by the Superintendent of Schools  after a review of the individual circumstances.

A grade equivalent of "C" or higher, or "P" when the pass/fail method of grading is used, is required to apply toward lane advancement. All credits for lane advancement must be graduate credits.  

Degrees earned before September 1 and received in the HR Office by October 31, shall become effective from the start of the school year. Any degrees earned after September 1 will be prorated for the remainder of the fiscal year.

CONTRACT HOURS

Teachers are required to work the contracted calendar days each school year (refer to the School Calendar for the actual dates required during the current school year). Contract hours are defined as follows:

Teaching Hours

On school days, teachers are to be at school for an average of 8 hours per day. Schedules are determined by administration based on Professional Learning Community needs. Part-time teachers' before- and after-school time will depend on scheduling needs.

Prep Time

Good faith effort will be made to provide teachers with scheduled daily preparation time during the school day for teachers greater than 0.5 FTE (full-time equivalent). In cases where the teacher is 0.5 or less, scheduling arrangements will be made with the Executive Director of Education, Director of Special Education and the Assistant Director of Education for prep time. The amount of time per student contact hour is detailed in the Employee Handbook.

Non-Teaching Hours

On those Fridays, when students are not scheduled to be in school, full-time teachers are required to be at the School for four hours; the remaining four hours of non-school Fridays will be spent on other teacher responsibilities (e.g., committee meetings). Part-time staff should prorate their time on Fridays according to their FTE. In addition to other individual professional duties, teachers will participate in staff meetings and parent-teacher conferences.

Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences

General conferences are scheduled periodically throughout the school year. Refer to the School Calendar for the actual dates required during the current school year.

Teachers are expected to maintain continuing open communication with parents and students. They are expected to be available, with reasonable notice, to hear concerns of parents and students during regular work hours.

Summer Hours

During the summer, teachers are encouraged to maintain their teaching skills through curriculum development and course preparation. All curriculum development projects (content and compensation) must be pre-approved by administration and must conform to the approved guidelines.

Attendance at designated workshops is encouraged. Good faith effort will be made to schedule by March 15, those workshops to be held during the summer. Good faith effort will be made to schedule workshops during non-teacher workdays. The amount of funding available and the specific requirements for the current year are determined by the administration.

Professional Development

Educational course work fees, professional association dues, and licensure fees are to be paid by the teachers.  One (1) paid day is allotted for staff development workshops approved by the Executive Director of Education or Assistant Director of Education, for an individual or group of teachers.  This day will not be considered in the tally of leave days.

TEACHER PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS

Teacher performance appraisal evaluations will be completed by the Executive Director of Education and the Assistant Director of Education annually by April unless there are unforeseen extenuating circumstances.  

TEACHER REHIRE AND REASSIGNMENT

Rehire

Teachers who desire to be rehired by PACT Charter School for the next school year are expected to file an "Intent to Return" form on or before March 1.  Rehiring decisions will be based upon the school's staffing needs and the teacher's performance appraisal evaluations.

The performance appraisal evaluations will be reviewed by the Executive Director(s).  

Any PACT Charter School Teacher who wishes to change their teaching assignment may apply for any open position. They will receive consideration, along with other qualified applicants, during the hiring process to fill these vacancies.

Rehire communications will be made as follows: 

1. "Intent to Rehire" forms will be distributed to teachers the School would like to rehire on or before May 15.
2. Rehire contracts will be issued to teachers for their acceptance and signature on or before June 1.
   Human Resources should receive signed contracts by June 15, or the position may be considered open.
3. Some rehire contracts may be delayed due to scheduling issues or staff reassignment.

EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENTS

Contracts will be issued annually and reflect the status of the employee's rehire.