Benefits and Position Related Information
Leave of
Absence
• If you will be absent from work for any reason, please
call your supervising teacher and building administrator as soon as
possible, unless other arrangements have been made with your
building administrator. The building administrator is responsible
for establishing the procedures for employing substitutes for
paraeducators within their building.
• Any days of absence, which do not fall under sick leave or staff
development, will carry a salary deduction. Time cards are to
reflect any absences from assigned duty. SCKSEC administration
knows that there will be times staff will need to be absent. We
request that all absences from assigned duties be kept to a
minimum.
Sick Leave,
Maternity Leave, Adoption Leave
• Paraeducators contracted for 15 hours weekly or more will receive
paid sick leave.
• Paraeducators with continuing work agreements will be credited
with sick leave for each month of employment, based on contracted
weekly hours. Newly employed paraeducators will begin to accumulate
sick leave following their probationary period, provided they have
submitted in full all required personnel documents.
• A total of 270 hours of sick leave may be accumulated. In the
event a paraeducator misses any part of a working day due to
illness, sick leave shall be paid as specified in the proceeding
paragraph. The minimum charge to sick leave shall be one hour.
• Documentation of sick leave is required on the paraeducator’s
time card and also on the “Absence/Substitute Report” form.
• Paraeducators shall be paid for all accumulated sick leave hours
that are in excess of the 240-hour maximum at the end of each
school year. Excess leave hours shall be paid at the rate of $2.50
per hour to a maximum of $100.00 annually.
• Sick leave may be granted for personal illness or illness of any
member of the immediate family. The immediate family is defined as
a spouse, child (includes step and foster children), mother
(in-law); father (in-law), brother (in-law), sister (in-law),
grandparent, grandchild, aunt, or uncle. Sick leave will also be
granted to attend the needs of ill relatives living in the same
household.
• Maternity Leave- Disabilities caused or contributed to by
pregnancy and its related conditions as they affect female
paraeducators are considered as temporary in nature. As such, those
disabilities qualify as sick leave. The paraeducator and her
physician shall determine the commencement of leave. As soon as
that date is determined, it shall be communicated to the
supervising professional, building administrator, and the SCKSEC
administration. The paraeducator shall continue on the job during
the term of pregnancy until, in the opinion of her physician,
continued professional services could endanger her health or school
personnel find the condition renders her ineffective in the
assigned position. In cases of the latter, the paraeducator, the
immediate supervising professional, building administrator and the
SCKSEC administrator shall determine the decision of commencement
of leave. The paraeducator shall return to her position as soon as
her physician certifies she is capable of performing her duties as
assigned.
• Employees following a legal adoption may also use adoption- Sick
leave. The employee, the building administrator and SCKSEC
administration shall determine the number of days of approved
leave, but shall not exceed 20 contracted days.
Bereavement and
Funeral Leave
• Sick leave may be used to attend any funeral, which the
paraeducator feels obligated to attend. Arrangements for funeral
and/or bereavement leave shall be made with the supervising
professional and building administration.
Sick Leave
Bank
• Paraeducators of the South Central Kansas Special Education
Cooperative, who are eligible for the sick leave bank, may complete
an enrollment form for participation. Participation will continue
unless a written request not to continue in the bank is received by
the SCKSEC business office prior to September 1 of the new school
year.
• Each full time participant shall contribute nine (9) contracted
hours annually. Each part-time paraeducator shall contribute a
prorated number of hours annually. South Central Kansas Special
Education Cooperative Board will annually provide one hundred and
twenty (120) hours to the paraeducator sick leave bank
• Participants may draw upon the bank after depleting their regular
accumulated sick leave as follows:
• The SCKSEC Administration shall administer the sick leave bank
policy.
• Full-time paraeducators, who join the bank, may make
application(s) for up to one hundred hours (120) of sick leave.
Paraeducators who are part-time will receive a prorated number of
hours. A doctor’s verification may be requested for extended leave
over thirty-hours.
• Paraeducators must have been employed earlier than December 1 of
the prior school year to be eligible.
• Sick Leave Bank cannot be used for funeral or maternity leave.
However, illness or medical complications experienced by the
paraeducator following childbirth are eligible for use of Sick
Leave Bank hours.
• Sick Leave Bank shall be used for paraeducator illness only.
• Upon application to the sick leave bank the requested leave shall
be allotted to the paraeducator when approved by the SCKSEC
Administration. The Paraeducator Advisory Council will review
requests for more than thirty (30) hours. The application is
available on the SCKSEC website at www.scksec.com or can be
requested from the SCKSEC administrative office.
• The sick leave bank shall have a maximum of nine hundred and
seventy five (975) hours available annually. Hours remaining at the
end of each plan year will be carried over to the next plan year to
the maximum allowed.
Leave Without
Pay
• Paraeducators may be allowed leave without pay. Leave should be
related to legal or business matters, but may be approved for
personal reasons if the reason is conveyed to the building
administration with at least 24 hours notice, except for unforeseen
emergencies.
• Leave will not be permitted for activities such as job
interviews, hunting, shopping, activities associated with
entertainment or second vocations, and business that can be
arranged outside the school day. The building administrator
assigned will make decisions for leave.
• Required Forms- "Request for Leave of Absence” must be submitted
in writing, with specific reason(s) for the requested leave, to the
SCKSEC office through the building administrator.
"Absence-Substitute Report" is completed immediately upon returning
to
duty.
Professional
Leave-Staff Development and Training
• Paraeducators may be granted temporary leave with or without pay
to attend staff development, activities related to the specific
assignment. Such leave must be approved by the SCKSEC assistant
director at least one week in advance of occurrence after having
been discussed with, and recommended by, the immediate supervisor
and building administrator. All requests for such leave shall be
made in writing. Expense for attendance at such training shall be
borne by the paraeducator making the request except when attendance
is requested by the SCKSEC administration.
• Each paraeducator working an annual work agreement (part-time or
full time) must receive at least twenty (20) staff development
hours of training per school year. The twenty-hour requirement is
prorated according to the length of employment for a paraeducator
who is employed after school has started. Training must be
verifiable by SCKSEC for required Kansas State Department of
Education reporting.
• The following schedule approximates training hours required
according to the beginning month of employment (even if you work
only one day):
| Month Employed | Hours Required |
| September | 20 |
| October | 18 |
| November | 16 |
| December | 14 |
| January | 10 |
| February | 8 |
| March | 6 |
| April | 4 |
| May | 2 |
College hours may be used to satisfy all but the orientation part
of the training requirement.One credit hour of college/vocational
coursework is equivalent to 15 or 20 inservice hours depending upon
when the credit was earned (prior to June, 2003-15 hours, from
June, 2003- 20 hours). We must verify that having a readable copy
of a grade slip or a transcript showing course completion.
• In order to count an activity for staff development and
training, the paraeducator must complete two steps:
1.
Identify the activity as being of a staff development or training
nature. Consider what you have learned as a result of this activity
and what effect it will have on the students you are responsible
for. Note: Some faculty meetings do have training as a component of
the time together and can be counted, but sometimes these meetings
are strictly informational or housekeeping types of meetings, and
they would not be countable for training purposes. How you state
the description of the activity makes a real difference on its
value in meeting the training requirements.
2.
Complete the "Paraeducator Staff Inservice Hours Report" verifying
each activity and submitting it as soon as possible following the
training. The description of the training activity area should be
summative in nature as to what was presented and its value to you
as an instructional paraeducator.
Leaving the
Building
• Do not leave your building during your duty day without first
clearing it through your supervising professional and the
office.
Liability
Insurance
• Paraeducators are covered by the SCKSEC liability insurance while
performing duties directed by the supervising professional, related
to their position.
• Claims of Wrongful Act - meaning any actual or alleged error or
misstatement or misleading statement or act or omission or neglect
or breach of duty including misfeasance (wrongful performance of a
lawful act), malfeasance (act of doing evil or harm), nonfeasance
(omission of an act that should have been performed) by an employee
of SCKSEC.
Car
Allowance
• When, in the performance of their duties, paraeducators are
required by the Cooperative to travel. Mileage will be paid at the
rate the Internal Revenue Service deems to be the maximum rate for
unreported income. Compensation will start with departure from
their established base of operation. Any rate change will be
calculated from the first day of the month the change is
determined.
• The form "Instructional Travel Voucher" (obtained from the
cooperative office) must be completed prior to reimbursement being
approved. Mileage is claimed from the first working day to the last
working day of each month, and this claim must be turned into the
cooperative office no later than the third day of the following
month.
• Mileage incurred as a result of training/staff development must
be preapproved by SCKSEC administration. The paraeducator would
complete the “Reqeust for Leave of Absence” form and submit for
prior approval of training and expenses requested.
Pay
• Paraeducators are paid for actual hours worked (as
stated on their work agreement) and for building approved district
inservice, cooperative inservice hours and other inservice hours
that have been pre-approved by SCKSEC administration.
• Compensation will be paid for snow days up to a maximum of the
number of hours worked per day times three. No Compensation
will be paid for days when school is not in session (i.e. spring
break, certain holidays, etc.). Paraeducators will follow the
approved calendar of the school district of assignment.
• Holiday pay will be given to paraeducators employed by SCKSEC as
determined by the SCKSEC administrative office. Holiday pay will be
based on the paraeducator’s current contracted weekly hours. In
order for a paraeducator to be eligible, all required personnel
documents must be current, accurate and on file.
• Paraeducators are issued their payments on or after the 15th day
of each month beginning in September and ending in June. All
paraeducators are paid on an hourly wage varying with experience
and education. (See Salary Schedule & Benefits information
issued with work agreement)
Physical
Examination
• Each employee who is in regular contact with students is required
to submit to the cooperative office a Certificate of Health (form
provided at the cooperative) signed by a licensed physician. This
is renewed at any time there is reasonable cause to believe that an
employee is suffering from an illness detrimental to the health of
the students.
• The responsibility of obtaining a Certificate of Health is that
of the paraeducator. The Cooperative will reimburse the newly
employed paraeducator for the TB test/Health Assessment up to an
amount of $25.00 with a receipt.
Retirement
• All full-time certified and non-certified employees (17.5 or more
working hours per week) are automatically members of K.P.E.R.S.
(Kansas Public Employees Retirement System). Approximately four (4)
percent of an employee's salary is deposited each month in a
personal account for the employee. The employer's contribution may
fluctuate depending on the financial needs of KPERS. Upon
retirement, the employee will have a monthly check available. Money
can be withdrawn earlier if the person leaves the position and
doesn't work elsewhere for a KPERS employer. Retirement is vested
after 10 years service. For non-vested members, membership is
protected for 5 years from date of termination.
• If a person does not withdraw from KPERS and then returns to
covered employment within the 5-year protection period,
contributions to KPERS will begin immediately. If you are not
vested and if an application for withdrawal has not been submitted
to KPERS within 5 years following termination, the contribution is
lost to the reserve fund.
(See KPERS Pub. "Employee Information manual" for additional
information)
Termination
• A paraeducator may terminate employment with two weeks notice (so
a suitable replacement may be employed).
• When a paraeducator position is no longer required due to
changes/distribution of caseloads, SCKSEC will give the
paraeducator(s) affected two weeks notice. Other reasons for
termination, on the part of the SCKSEC, might be failure to perform
satisfactorily in the position assigned (i.e. inability to control
students assigned, inability to work effectively with supervising
professional(s), poor attendance, policy violation of district,
building or SCKSEC, etc.) will be cause for immediate termination
of employment by SCKSEC. Notice will be given with effective
date.
Renewal
• If evaluations are satisfactory, paraeducators can feel
reasonably certain of retaining a position for the next year. If
changes in student population do not warrant the position, the
paraeducator will be given the opportunity to be considered for
position openings for which he/she is qualified.
• Paraeducators employed under a current work agreement may have
the opportunity to request transfer to other paraeducator positions
in SCKSEC. Transfer is always subject to the approval of the
teachers, SCKSEC administration, and administrators at the district
level.
• Work agreements for the next school year will be issued following
the approval of a new budget year. This is usually at the June
Board of Director's Meeting.
• Paraeducators who do not wish to continue employment must resign
in writing within two weeks, following the issuance of a work
agreement.
Time
Cards
• Paraeducators will complete (on a daily basis) a time card issued
by the cooperative office. Time worked each month is claimed from
the first working day of the month to the last working day of the
month. Time cards shall be turned into the cooperative office no
later than the third day of the following month.
• The instructional paraeducator, the supervising professional, or
an administrator must sign time cards in the absence of the
professional.
Transporting
Students as Part of Assigned Duties
• The district of assignment should provide transportation.
• Paraeducators are not required to transport students home for any
reason in their personal vehicle. When you transport anyone in your
personal vehicle, you become legally responsible for the students
welfare. In case of an accident, your insurance and/or you
personally could be liable for a student’s injury.
