No. 98        Human Resource Services Division

Acrobat PDF file attachments:

Attachment 1 - Reduced Workload Agreement – 2001-2002
Attachment 2 - Reduced Workload Program Eligibility Certification Application
Attachment 3 - Reduced Workload Program Application
Attachment 4 - Certificated Reduced Workload Program  – 2001-2002

On April 5, 1994, the Board of Education adopted a Reduced Workload Program for certificated staff. The action taken was in accordance with Education Code Sections 44922 and 22724 and Article 32 of the Collective Negotiations Contract.

Certificated employees may reduce their workload to no less than half-time and receive the same credit toward retirement under the State Teachers' Retirement System (STRS) that the unit member would have received if he/she were employed on a full-time basis. Certificated employees who enter this program may continue to participate for a maximum of five school years at which time the employee shall be required to retire.

Maximum Participation. The maximum number of certificated employees participating in this program at any one time shall be 60.

Eligibility. A participating employee must have reached the age of 55 prior to the start of the school year in which the employee proposes to commence the reduced workload. (The certificated employee’s birthday must occur before the first day of paid service in the school year in which the reduced workload plan is implemented.)

A participant must have been employed as a full-time certificated employee in California for at least ten years, of which the last five years were in full-time certificated employment in the San Diego Unified School District. An approved leave of absence shall not constitute a break in service; however, time spent on leave(s) of absence will not be counted toward the five-year requirement.

A participating employee must have received an effective evaluation during his/her most recent evaluation period in order to be considered for the program. Exceptions to this requirement may be granted by mutual agreement between the unit member and the district.

Option to Participate. The option to participate in the Reduced Workload Program can be exercised only upon the request of the certificated employee and with the mutual agreement of the district and can be revoked only by mutual consent of the employee and the district.

Conditions of Participation. Certificated employees participating in the Reduced Workload Program who are assigned to self-contained classrooms will be required to work one-half time for both semesters of a school year and are required to serve a minimum of either 94 full days or 187 half days for 2001/02. (NOTE: This requirement may be increased to 188 days if an additional staff development buy-out day is funded by the state for the 2001/02 school year.)

All other certificated employees participating in the Reduced Workload Program will be required to be on duty either: (1) one hundred percent of one semester (a minimum of 94 workdays) and zero percent of the other semester of a school year; or (2) one-half time for both semesters of a school year, and requiring a minimum service of either 94 full days or 187 half days. (NOTE: This requirement may be increased to 188 days if an additional staff development buy-out day is funded by the state for the 2001/02 school year.)

Certificated employees participating in the Reduced Workload Program will earn sick leave on a pro- rata basis.

The provisions of the Collective Negotiations Contract - Article 12, Transfer Policies, and Article 18, Mentor Teachers, shall not apply to employees participating in the Reduced Workload Program.

District and certificated employee contributions to STRS shall be equal to the amount required for a full-time employee. (Employment taxes such as Medicare, federal and state income taxes will be based on the employee’s actual earnings.)

Participants in this program shall maintain their district-paid health and welfare benefits as provided under Article 9 of the contract for the full school year.

Participating certificated employees shall be entitled to participate in the Attendance Incentive Program provided for in Article 10, Section 2, of the contract, except that the sick leave incentive and perfect attendance bonus provided therein shall be prorated.

Participating certificated employees shall be eligible for advancement on the salary schedule in the same manner provided for other part-time employees (Salary Rules, Section 4.025).

Participating certificated employees shall be evaluated in the same manner provided for all other certificated employees under Article 14, Performance Evaluation Procedures, except that the evaluation process for certificated employees who are assigned for one complete semester of full-time service and one semester off per school year, shall be condensed to provide for a final summary evaluation to be provided the employee not later than 15 calendar days prior to the final day of service for the semester in which the unit member is assigned to be on duty.

Forfeiture of Retirement Credit. If a certificated employee participating in the Reduced Workload Program performs service that is less than half-time (94 full days or 187/188 half days), he/she shall lose eligibility for the program for that particular school year. In addition, if it is found by the STRS that a participating certificated employee failed to meet the minimum eligibility criteria set forth by the Education Code, his/her participation in the program shall be considered a break in service, resulting in a loss of retirement credit and permanently disqualifying the employee from future participation in the Reduced Workload Program.

Program Exemptions. Certificated staff participating in the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) shall be ineligible to participate in the Reduced Workload Program.

Application Procedure. Certificated employees making initial application to participate in the Reduced Workload Program shall identify their own partner and the two shall jointly submit an application to the Human Resource Services Division (HRSD) no later than March 1, 2001, in order to reduce their workload for the subsequent school year. Applications will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis. Continuing Reduced Workload participants whose partners opt not to continue sharing an assignment should notify HRSD of their need for a new partner immediately.

Each participant must complete and sign a Reduced Workload Agreement (Attachment 1) and a Reduced Workload Program Eligibility Certification Application (Attachment 2) form. Both participants must complete and sign the Reduced Workload Program Application form (Attachment 3), together with a calendar (Attachment 4). These forms can be printed from the district’s web page. Reduced Workload packets should be forwarded via the principal/supervisor to the appropriate certificated staffing administrator in the Human Resource Services Division, Eugene Brucker Education Center, Room 1241. (A unit member may apply for the Reduced Workload Program with another permanent unit member. Should that certificated employee be less than 55 years of age and wish to be considered as a job-share teacher, the job-share provisions of the Collective Negotiations Contract will apply to this participant.)

Questions regarding retirement contributions and regulations may be addressed to Gamy Rayburn, fiscal control director, (619) 725-7667, and questions regarding general procedures may be addressed to the appropriate certificated staffing administrator.