Middletown Public Schools                                                                                        No. 4300

 

EMPLOYEES TELECOMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT AND USE POLICY

 

PROFESSIONAL AND SUPPORT STAFF HIRING

INTRODUCTION

The State of Rhode Island has placed responsibility for the hiring, retention and  assignment of administrative and instructional staff with the Superintendent of Schools  (“Superintendent”) and the Burrillville School Committee (“Committee”). The Rhode  Island Department of Education (“RIDE”) has enacted the Basic Education Program  Regulation (“BEP”) which provides mandatory criteria for hiring, retention and  assignment of instructional staff. The BEP requires the Burrillville School District  (“District” or “LEA”) to select and retain only the most highly effective staff and to base  assignments on student need and qualifications. RIDE has determined that the  management of the Human Capital System is “essential to the mission of implementing a  statewide system of public education.”¹ 

The Superintendent and site-based administrators have a statutory responsibility to  comply and implement state law as well as the Department of Education’s rules and  regulations.² The Superintendent may delegate his/her duties under this policy to a  designee to act in his/her place.

OBJECTIVE

The continuous improvement of student learning shall be the primary reference point for  all decision-making regarding personnel assignment and evaluation. In order to  effectively meet these functions, the LEA shall maintain control of its ability to recruit,  hire, manage, evaluate, and assign its personnel”³ to ensure the selection and hiring of  highly qualified, effective, certified staff that best meets the needs of students.

The District shall regard a highly qualified, effective applicant as one who fulfills all  Federal, State and District laws, rules, regulations and requirements for the position.

A. Appointment of Principals.

Pursuant to R.I. Gen Laws 16-2-11(a)(6) the Superintendent or designee shall directly  appoint principals for each public school within the District at levels of compensation in  accordance with the District’s compensation policy.

¹ BEP G-15-1.2(c). 

² R.I.G.L. 16-2-9(3),(14),(15) ,16-2-11(a)(4) and 16-2-11.1

³ BEP G-15-2.2(a).

B. Appointment of Administrators and other Personnel not assigned to  individual schools.

Pursuant to R.I. Gen Laws 16-2-11(a)(7) the Superintendent or designee shall directly  appoint all other non-school site administrators and other personnel at levels of  compensation in accordance with the District’s compensation policy.

C. Appointment of School Site Personnel other than Principals.

Pursuant to R.I. Gen Laws 16-2-11.1 the Superintendent or designee shall consider  appointment of all teachers, athletic coaches, instructional or administrative aides, and  other personnel assigned to the school sites , consistent with district personnel policies,  collective bargaining agreements, and based upon the recommendation of the relevant  site based administrator.

School Principals’ recommendations for appointment shall be consistent with this staff  hiring policy, as well as other relevant policies and protocols established by the School  Committee and protocols as established by the Superintendent or designee.

D. Reporting Appointments to the School Committee.

The Superintendent or designee shall report all appointments to the School Committee on  a monthly basis.

E. Template Contract and Compensation

In furtherance of this policy, the Superintendent shall submit template employment  contracts to the School Committee from time to time, for its approval. Such employment  contracts as applicable, shall be utilized by the Superintendent when appointing  personnel in the District. The Superintendent is explicitly authorized to execute said  contracts for initial hiring and renewals of employment on behalf of the District⁴ and such  contracts shall be valid and binding as if entered into by vote of the Committee.

Additionally, the Superintendent shall set levels of compensation and benefits consistent  with this Hiring Policy and the District Compensation Policy.

DISTRICT HIRING PROTOCOL

I. General

Every position in the District, which in the judgment of the Superintendent or designee,  must be filled to meet the needs of the District, shall be filled by a candidate with the  knowledge and skills that best matches the needs of the District.

⁴ R.I. Gen Laws 16-2-9(a)(14),(18),(23).

Recruitment may be directed both to those not currently employed by the District and to  those currently employed by the District in other positions. Consideration of internal and  external candidates may allow the District to place the most effective and experienced  staff in the locations and position where they are most needed in compliance with State  and Federal Law as well as the BEP.⁵

Consistent with applicable law, regulation, and terms of applicable collective bargaining  agreement (if any), all applicants shall be given appropriate consideration when filling  vacant positions. The Superintendent or designee is the responsible authority for  appointment of all such personnel.

a. Advertising for Position

All posted vacancies which do not result in appropriate applicants from the Burrillville  School Department’s staff, may be made available to be filled by appropriate public  instrumentalities such as advertising in a paper of general circulation and or placement  instrumentalities through the internet or placement agencies or through other outreach  efforts.

b. Applications, Descriptions & Postings

Upon approval of the Superintendent or designee, the District Human Resources  Department shall promulgate appropriate form applications and job descriptions,  including functional job descriptions, and job postings (where appropriate) for each  position in the District.

A Burrillville School Department application shall be deemed to be complete upon receipt  of a letter of application, a resume, college transcripts, Rhode Island Certification, and/or  equivalent, three letters of reference, a criminal background check (as deemed necessary  by the District), and a completed application form.

Candidates shall send a letter of interest for each vacant position for which they wish to  be considered whether their application is currently active.

Any candidate who is a current resident of the Town of Burrillville and meets the  qualifications of a publicly advertised position shall be given consideration for such  vacancy in the Burrillville School Department. Such consideration does not entitle the  candidate to an interview for a position.

II. Screening Committee For Appointment Of School Principals And  Administrators And Other Personnel Not Assigned To Individual Schools 

A screening committee appointed by the Superintendent or designee consisting of at least  one parent, one SIT team member, one staff member and an administrator who may be 

⁵ BEP G-15-2.2(b)(1), see also Commissioner of Education Letter to Superintendents dated October 20,  2009 re: Basic Education Program Regulations and Seniority Based Teacher Assignments.

the successful candidate’s immediate supervisor, will screen the applications and conduct  candidate evaluations under the directions of the Superintendent or designee, using  guidelines established by the Superintendent or designee, for each vacant position.

Candidate evaluations may include interviews site visits, background checks, and any  other method of candidate evaluation considered appropriate by the Superintendent or  designee. If the Superintendent or designee requests the screening committee to conduct  candidate interviews, all interview questions must be approved by the Superintendent or  designee prior to being used in an interview setting.

As an outcome of any interviews, the presiding administrator shall prepare a brief  narrative, summarizing the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate. This narrative  must be aligned with the initial directives and guidelines established by the  Superintendent or designee and charged to the screening committee prior to the  interviewing process.

Any certified staff member utilized as a member of the screening committee will be selected from a pool of volunteers who presently or formally participated on a SIT team.  Certified staff members will be selected by a lottery from volunteers. The Superintendent  or designee will conduct the lottery.

The parent member of the screening committee will be selected from a pool of volunteers who presently or formally participated on a SIT team. Parent volunteers will be selected  from the Parent Organization membership. If a vacancy occurs at a school for which no  parent volunteer is available, a volunteer from another school may be selected. The lottery  will be conducted by the Superintendent or designee.

In schools where no PTO exists, the principal will formulate a list of parents who are active  volunteers in school activities and events. These parents will serve as the volunteer pool  for the hiring process. The lottery will proceed as above.

Alternatively, the Superintendent or designee may, at his/her discretion, elect to employ  a district wide hiring procedure as follows:

• The Superintendent or designee will select the appropriate number of  district-wide teams to conduct the initial candidate evaluations.

• The teams will be comprised of principals, parents and teachers and may  include a central office administrator(s)/Director(s)

• Parents and teachers shall be selected from the school volunteer pools  where vacancies exist.

The Superintendent or designee, or his/her designee shall also conduct additional  interviews, site visits, background checks, and any other method of candidate evaluation  considered appropriate by the Superintendent or designee.

If the Superintendent or designee concludes that the candidate(s) do not possess the  qualities required by the District, the Department of Human Resources may re-advertise  for the position in question or may elect to interview any other applicant whether or not  recommended by the screening team.

The Superintendent or designee, or his/her designee, shall interview the two top  applicants. A list of questions shall be developed to be asked at this level of interview. In  addition, the Superintendent or designee may ask other relevant questions.

The Department of Human Resources shall verify the applicants’ past employment,  educational experience, references, and certifications.

The Superintendent or designee shall appoint the successful candidate. The  Superintendent or designee’s decision shall be based upon his/her best independent  judgment in conformance with state law⁶. 

The Superintendent may appoint an internal administrative transfer or promote an  Assistant Principal to building administrator without advertising or conducting  interviews for the position.

III. Appointment of School Site Personnel other than Principals.

The Superintendent shall consider appointment of all teachers, athletic coaches,  instructional or administrative aides, and other personnel assigned to the school sites,  consistent with district personnel policies, collective bargaining agreements, and based  upon the recommendation of the site-based administrator.

A screening committee appointed by and including the Principal or designee and  consisting of at least one parent, one staff member, one member of the SIT team who is  not employed in the District, and an administrator. The committee will screen the  applications and conduct candidate evaluations under the directions of the Principal,  using guidelines as established by the Superintendent or designee and this protocol for  each vacant position.

Candidate evaluations may include interviews site visits, background checks, reference  checks, and any other method of candidate evaluation considered appropriate by the  Principal. If the Principal requests the screening committee to conduct candidate  interviews, all interview questions must be approved by the Superintendent or designee  prior to being used in an interview setting.

As an outcome of any interviews, the presiding administrator will prepare a brief  narrative summarizing the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate. This narrative  must be aligned with the initial directives and guidelines that were established by the  Principal and charged to the screening committee prior to the interviewing process.

⁶ R.I. Gen Laws 16-2-11.

Any certified staff member utilized as a member of the screening committee will be  selected from past or present SIT team volunteers. Certified staff members will be selected  by a lottery from volunteers. The Principal will conduct the lottery.

The parent member of the screening committee will be selected from a pool of volunteers  who presently or formally participated on a SIT team. If a vacancy occurs at a school for  which no parent volunteer is available, a volunteer from another school may be selected.  The lottery will be conducted by the Principal.

In schools where no PTO exists, the principal will formulate a list of parents who are active  volunteers in school activities and events. These parents will serve as the volunteer pool  for the hiring process. The lottery will proceed as above.

Alternatively, the Principal may employ a district wide hiring procedure outlined in  section II. above.

Consistent with the relevant collective bargaining agreement, if the Principal concludes  that the candidate(s) do not possess the qualities required by the school site, the  Department of Human Resources may re-advertise for the position or may elect to  interview any other applicant whether or not recommended by the screening team.

The Principal shall interview the two top applicants. If the Principal does not sit on the  screening committee interviews, the Principal shall interview the top three candidates.

A list of questions shall be developed to be asked at this level of interview. In addition,  the Principal may ask other relevant questions. The Department of Human Resources  shall verify the applicants’ past employment, educational experience, references, and  certifications.

The Principal shall recommend appointment of the successful candidate to the  Superintendent or designee for his/her consideration. The Principal’s decision shall be  based upon his/her best independent educational and judgment in conformance with  state law. If the Superintendent rejects the Principal’s recommendation, the Principal shall  review all other applicants for the position and present additional candidates until the  position is filled.

a. Substitute Teaching Positions

An advertisement for needed substitutes will be placed in a paper of general circulation  and/or via internet, or placement agency on an annual basis. Applicants will be asked to  submit a copy of their certification, resume, and signed waiver for a criminal background  check, along with a Burrillville application. Upon receipt of the above and clearance of  the criminal background check, the teacher’s name will be added to the substitute list.

Substitutes will be evaluated by the building level administrator using an evaluation  instrument obtained from the Superintendent or designee. Substitute teachers who make  themselves available for substitute teaching in the Burrillville School District and pass

their evaluations will be given priority hiring for vacancies that may develop. Substitutes  will be rotated through all the schools in the District, so administrators have an  opportunity to observe and/or evaluate all substitutes in a classroom situation.

b. Non-Certified Substitutes (Clerks, Aides and Custodians)

On an annual basis an advertisement for needed clerk and aide substitutes will be placed  in a paper of general circulation and/or via internet, or placement agency. 

Applicants will be asked to submit a Burrillville application and the waiver for a criminal  background check.

c. Clerks

The Superintendent or designee will determine the number of substitutes needed. A team  consisting of the Director of Human Resource, and at least two principals, parent and a  teacher will then evaluate the applicants. The parent and teacher members will be selected  from an available pool of volunteers who formally or presently serve on a SIT team. The  Superintendent will select this team.

Those applicants whom the team finds suitable will be afforded the typing/word  processing test. Those selected applicants who have passed the above test and passing a  criminal background and reference check will be placed on the substitute list in rank and  number to be decided by the Superintendent or designee.

d. Teacher Assistants

The Superintendent will determine the number of assistants necessary at a given  time. A team consisting of the Director of Special Education, and at least two principals,  a parent and a teacher will evaluate applications. The parent and teacher members will  be selected from an available pool of volunteers who formally or presently serve on a SIT  team.

The Superintendent or designee will determine and direct this candidate evaluation team.  Upon passing the evaluation team and clearance of the criminal background and reference  checks, the applicant’s name will be added to the substitute list.

e. Custodians

The Superintendent or designee will determine the number of custodial substitutes  necessary at a given time. The Facilities Director, the Human Resources Director, at least  two principals, and a teacher will evaluate applications. The teacher members will be  selected from a pool of available volunteers who formally or presently serve on a SIT team.

The Human Relations Department, with input from the Superintendent or designee and  Principals, will determine and direct this candidate evaluation team. This team will  validate all references and past work experiences. Upon passing the evaluation team and

clearance of the criminal background and reference checks, the applicant’s name will be  added to the substitute list.

IV. Criteria for Hiring

When hiring, promoting or transferring non-administrative certified staff, the  administrator shall consider:

1. Qualifications which shall include experience in an actual job held, including  special qualifications that may be required or educationally desirable for a  position and must be student focused.

2. Certifications held including Highly Qualified Status and National Board  Certification.

3. Professional development each applicant has engaged in.

4. Participation on professional/district level/school level committees. 5. Work history with the District including, but not limited to: attendance,  effectiveness within various student populations, student achievement/results,  recent experience in relevant subject matter.

6. Result of evaluations.

7. Successful interview.

8. Discipline history.

9. Laid off status and work experience will be used as a tiebreaker in the event that  two candidates are deemed by the Superintendent to be equally highly qualified  and highly effective.

10. Other relevant data

11. When all qualifications are equal, seniority will prevail.

12. If only one person applies for a position, he/she will be vetted through the above  process.

13. If the District determines that the sole candidate is not suitable, then the District  may advertise externally.

14. Other requirements as set out in the relevant collective bargaining agreement.

V. Forms and Format for Hiring, Promotions and Transfers

The Human Relations Department shall promulgate, with the approval of the  Superintendent or designee, appropriate forms and other materials, consistent with  district policy and protocol, for use by screening committees and appointing  administrators in the hiring, promotion and transfer process.

Those candidates who are qualified and are residents of Burrillville and who meet  the minimum requirements shall be afforded the courtesy of a minimum of one  interview per year for teaching positions in the Burrillville Public Schools. A  Burrillville resident may request interviews for subsequent positions to which  they first applied if such request is in writing.

 

 

1^st Reading – June 29, 2021

2^nd Reading and Approval – January 27, 2022