GCPA REDUCTION IN PROFESSIONAL STAFF AND WORK FORCE

Adoption Date: 4/8/1987, Revised: 10/13/1992, 2/14/2017
G - PERSONNEL

REDUCTION IN PROFESSIONAL STAFF AND WORKFORCE

Reductions in staff may, from time to time, be made necessary by decreased enrollments, revenue limitations, or other events beyond the control of the Board of Trustees. A decision to reduce the number of staff will, in all cases, remain within the sole discretion and judgment of the Board of Trustees under the provisions of Wyoming law and this policy.

The Wyoming statutory reference to reduction-in-force is found in Wyoming Statute 21-7-111(a) (iv) (1977) where reduction-in-force is defined as follows: “The termination of the contract of a teacher at the end of the current school year because of a decrease in the size of the faculty due to decreased enrollment, combining of school districts or an event beyond the control of the board.”

It is the policy of the District to use normal attrition of staff consisting of resignations, retirements, leave of absences, and transfers as the first means of achieving a reduction-in-force (RIF). However, in certain cases, normal attrition may not be sufficient to achieve the necessary reduction in staff. When normal attrition is insufficient, the District shall conduct an additional RIF in accordance with this policy and Wyoming law.

In the event it becomes necessary to reduce the number of staff within the District, such reductions will be accomplished in the following manner:

A. The District administration will assess the staffing needs of the District for the forthcoming school year and determine the number of certified staff that will be recommended for reduction.

B. In areas in which there is a surplus of certified staff, initial and non-continuing contract certified staff will be recommended for termination before continuing contract staff. An "area" is defined as certificate endorsement and present assignment within the District.

C. If there are no initial or non-continuing contract staff in an area of surplus, or if there still exists a surplus of continuing contract staff after terminating all initial and non-continuing contract staff in the area of surplus, the District administration will attempt to reassign surplus continuing contract staff to positions in which they have certificate endorsement. The attempted reassignment will be to areas of endorsement where there are vacancies or where there are positions held by initial or non-continuing contract staff.

D. If a staff member who has been identified for RIF has a current assignment in more than one area, the District shall follow the procedures outlined in paragraphs (B), (C), and (D) for staff in the other area(s).

E. If there still exists a surplus of continuing contract staff after attempted reassignment, as set forth in paragraph C., the District administration shall examine the records of continuing contract staff within the area of surplus so as to make a recommendation to the Board of Trustees for termination of continuing contract staff due to a RIF in the following order or priority:

Seniority shall be given preference. Seniority is defined as the number of years employed in the District prorated in accordance with the percent of time listed in each employment contract.

2. The continuing contract staff member’s skill, ability, and competence as reflected by the written evaluations completed by the member's past

and present immediate supervisor(s).

3. The Superintendent of Schools will consider the best interests of Uinta County School District #1 students relating to its curricular and

extracurricular needs and will not be bound strictly by seniority. When considering the curricular and extracurricular needs of the District,

the Superintendent will look at an employee’s “value added” status. Value added is dual certification or work completed by the staff member

outside of the classroom that includes, committee membership, teacher leadership positions, non-athletic sponsor, and athletic coaching

positions.

F. Finally, surplus continuing contract staff shall be recommended by the District administration to the Board of Trustees for termination from employment by the District in accordance with Wyoming law and this policy.

Recall Procedures:

Staff members whose contracts were canceled due to a reduction in force will be placed in a “pool” until April 15 of the second year from the effective date of contract cancellation. Staff members in the pool shall be notified of vacancies in the endorsement area in which they served and for which they are qualified. The District shall hire staff members from the pool who are properly endorsed and qualified for re-employment under Board policy for open positions until all staff members in the pool have been re-employed or offered re-employment. If more than one member of the pool applies for the same open position, the position shall be filled by following the priorities outlined in E: 1-3 above, and in accordance with the State of Wyoming Certification and Endorsement.

Offers for re-employment shall be made by direct contact or registered mail, with return receipt requested, and the staff member shall be notified that he/she must submit written acceptance within two (2) calendar days from the date of the offer. Failure to respond within two calendar days or rejection of the position eliminates all reemployment rights of the staff member, under the provisions of this policy, and automatically removes the staff member from the pool.

If a RIF pool member declines an offer of re-employment for a position with lower pay or fewer hours than his/her previous position that staff member will not be removed from the pool.

A staff member from the pool who accepts a position with lower pay or fewer hours than his/her previous position, will be removed from the pool. If a position with similar pay and hours to their previous position becomes available, the staff member may request a transfer to that position if they are properly endorsed and qualified.

Staff members whose contract was canceled due to a reduction in force who are subsequently re-employed shall be reinstated with all continuous experience and sick leave accrued up to the effective date of contract cancellation.

Seniority List: A seniority list including years of service and certification will be available the first Monday of December of each year. All staff are encouraged to review this list and notify the Human Resource Office in writing of any needed corrections or changes. All corrections and changes must be submitted by the last working day in January. A final list will be made available on the first Monday of February of each year. The information on this list will be used if a RIF is required.

Hire Date: Hire date is the date the staff member’s contract was approved by the Board of Trustees.

Tie Breaking: In cases of identical initial hire dates, RIF decisions shall be based on the staff member’s skill, ability, competence as reflected by written evaluations, work history, preparation, previous experience, assignment location, and supervisor recommendation.

Leaves of Absence: Employees who take an approved leave of absence, that does not provide seniority, will retain their original hiring date, but their position on the seniority list will be adjusted accordingly.

Part-Time/Full-Time Service: A teacher employed, under a regular contract, less than full-time for a school year shall accumulate seniority at a rate of one-half (½) year seniority for such year of service.