AGREEMENT

between

BOARD OF EDUCATION OF
FOREST RIDGE SCHOOL DISTRICT 142
and

FREA
(Forest Ridge Education Association)

for

School Years 2022-2023 - 2024/2025

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 Table of Contents

PREAMBLE ......................................................................................................................... 6

ARTICLE I RECOGNITION AND SCOPE

1.1 Recognition .......................................................................................................... 6
1.2 Definition .............................................................................................................. 6
1.3 Scope ................................................................................................................... 6
1.4 Right to Organize ................................................................................................. 7

ARTICLE II EFFECT OF AGREEMENT

2.1 Entire Agreement ................................................................................................. 7
2.2 Copies of Agreement ............................................................................................ 7
2.3 Savings ................................................................................................................. 7

ARTICLE III NEGOTIATION PROCEDURES

3.1 Commencement ................................................................................................... 8
3.2 Tentative Agreement ............................................................................................ 8
3.3 Ratification ............................................................................................................ 8
3.4 Access to Information ........................................................................................... 8
3.5 Impasse ................................................................................................................ 8

ARTICLE IV GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

4.1 Definition .............................................................................................................. 9
4.2 Procedures ........................................................................................................... 9
4.2.1 Step 1 ..................................................................................................... 9
4.2.2 Step 2 ..................................................................................................... 9
4.2.3 Step 3 ..................................................................................................... 9
4.2.4 Step 4 ..................................................................................................... 9
4.3 General Provisions ............................................................................................. 10
4.3.1 No Reprisals......................................................................................... 10
4.3.2. Association Representation ................................................................. 10
4.3.3 Withdrawal ........................................................................................... 10

ARTICLE V TEACHER PROTECTION

5.1 Indemnity ............................................................................................................ 11
5.2 Reduction in Force ............................................................................................. 11
5.2.1 Seniority ............................................................................................... 12
5.2.2 Recall ................................................................................................... 13
5.2.3 Notice to Association............................................................................ 13
5.2.4 Seniority List......................................................................................... 13
5.3 Notice of Tenure ................................................................................................. 14
5.4 Discipline Conference ........................................................................................ 14
5.4.1 Compensation Reduction ..................................................................... 14
5.4.2 Pending Dismissal Hearing .................................................................. 14
5.4.3 Suspension .......................................................................................... 14

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 5.4.4 Emergency Suspension ....................................................................... 15
5.4.5 Other Discipline .................................................................................... 15
5.5 Teacher Personnel File ...................................................................................... 15
5.6 Rules and Regulations ....................................................................................... 15
5.7 Parent Complaints .............................................................................................. 16

ARTICLE VI VACANCIES, TRANSFERS AND PROMOTIONS

6.1 Notice ................................................................................................................. 17
6.2 Transfers ............................................................................................................ 17

ARTICLE VII LEAVES

7.1 Sick Leave .......................................................................................................... 18
7.2 Sick Leave Day Donations ................................................................................. 18
7.2.1 ............................................................................................................... 18
7.3 Personal Days .................................................................................................... 19
7.4 Family & Medical Leave Act: Serious Health Conditions ................................... 19
7.5 Family & Medical Leave Act: Paternity-Maternity-Adoption ............................... 20
7.6 Long-Term Parental Leave ................................................................................. 21
7.7 Bereavement Leave ........................................................................................... 22
7.8 Other Leaves ...................................................................................................... 22
7.9 Professional Leave for Association Conference ................................................. 22
7.10 Sabbatical Leaves ............................................................................................ 23
7.11 Jury Duty ........................................................................................................... 23

ARTICLE VIII TEACHING CONDITIONS

8.1 Pupil-Teacher Ratio ............................................................................................ 24
8.2 Internal Substitution ............................................................................................ 24
8.3 Evening Activities ............................................................................................... 24
8.4 Professional Library ............................................................................................ 24
8.5 Professional Development Activities .................................................................. 25
8.5.1 Extension Courses ............................................................................... 25
8.5.2 Workshops and Conferences ............................................................... 25
8.5.3 In-Service Training ............................................................................... 25
8.5.4 Trainers ................................................................................................ 25
8.5.5 Videotaping .......................................................................................... 25
8.6 Teaching Assignments ....................................................................................... 25
8.6.1 Notification ........................................................................................... 25
8.6.2 Licensure.............................................................................................. 25
8.6.3 Job Sharing .......................................................................................... 25
8.7 Teachers’ Regular Routine Responsibilities ....................................................... 26
8.7.1 Sign In/Out ........................................................................................... 26
8.7.2 Lunch ................................................................................................... 26
8.7.3 Meetings..........................................................................................26-27
8.7.4 Parent-Teacher Conference Meetings ................................................. 27
8.7.5 Preparation Time.................................................................................. 27
8.7.6 Overload............................................................................................... 27

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 8.7.7 Student Records .................................................................................. 27
8.8 School Calendar ............................................................................................27-28

ARTICLE IX SUMMER SCHOOL

9.1 Summer School Hiring Standards ...................................................................... 29
9.2 Summer School Rate ......................................................................................... 29

ARTICLE X EVALUATION ................................................................................................... 30

ARTICLE XI COMPENSATION
11.1 Salary and Coursework Compensation ............................................................ 31
11.1.1 Placement on the Salary Schedule .................................................... 31
11.1.2 Advancement on the Salary Schedule ............................................... 31
11.2 Pay Periods ...................................................................................................... 31
11.3 Payroll Deductions ........................................................................................... 31

ARTICLE XII FRINGE BENEFITS

12.1 Tuition Reimbursement .................................................................................... 32
12.2 Mileage ............................................................................................................. 33
12.3 Extra Duty Assignments ................................................................................... 34
12.4 Duty-Free Lunch ............................................................................................... 34
12.5 Life Insurance ................................................................................................... 34
12.6 Insurance .......................................................................................................... 34
12.6.1 Individual and Family Plans ............................................................... 34
12.6.2 Continued Summer Insurance Benefit ............................................... 35
12.6.3 Other Insurance ................................................................................. 35
12.6.4 Selection of Coverage ........................................................................ 35
12.6.5 Salary Reduction ................................................................................ 35

12.7 Retirement ........................................................................................................ 36

12.7.1 Early Retirement Option – Teachers’ Retirement System ................. 36
12.7.2 Unused Sick Leave Benefit (Non-ERO) ............................................. 36
12.8 Ability to Rescind .............................................................................................. 36

ARTICLE XIII NO STRIKE CLAUSE

13.1 No Strike ........................................................................................................... 37

ARTICLE XIV CONTRACT REOPENER CLAUSE

14.1 Contract Reopener Clause ............................................................................... 37

ARTICLE XV RIGHTS OF THE BOARD

15.1 General Retention ............................................................................................ 38
15.2 Association Input .............................................................................................. 38

ARTICLE XVI DURATION AND ACCEPTANCE OF AGREEMENT .................................... 39

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SALARY SCHEDULES- APPENDIX A
Appendix A-1 ............................................................................................................. 40
Appendix A-2 ............................................................................................................. 41
Appendix A-3 ............................................................................................................. 42

EXTRA DUTY – APPENDIX B ............................................................................................. 43

HOURLY COMPENSATION RATES – APPENDIX C .......................................................... 44

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 AGREEMENT
PREAMBLE

The Board of Education of District 142, hereinafter referred to as the "Board," and the
Forest Ridge Education Association (FREA/F.R.E.A.), hereinafter referred to as the
"Association," recognize their common aim of providing the best education possible for
the youth of the District. Both parties acknowledge the attainment of this educational
objective as a joint responsibility of the Board, the administrative and supervisory staff,
and the professional teaching personnel. To this end, the free and open exchange of
views is desirable and necessary, with representatives of the parties participating in good
faith negotiations.

The Board and the Association recognize that teaching is a profession requiring
specialized educational qualifications and that the success of the educational program in
the District depends upon the maximum utilization of the abilities of teachers who are
satisfied with the conditions under which their services are rendered. As evidence of its
acceptance of the professional rights and responsibilities of teachers, the Association
has endorsed the CODE OF ETHICS OF THE EDUCATION PROFESSION as adopted
by the Illinois Education Association. It is understood that the Board has not subscribed to
or endorsed and is not bound by the Uniform Code of Ethics of the Education Profession.

ARTICLE I
RECOGNITION AND
SCOPE

1.1 Recognition The Board of Education of District 142, Cook County, Oak Forest,
Illinois, hereinafter referred to as the "Board," hereby recognizes the Forest Ridge
Education Association of District 142, hereinafter referred to as the "Association," affiliated
with the Illinois Education Association and the National Education Association, as the sole
negotiation agent for all regularly employed licensed personnel excluding the following:
superintendents, chief information officer/director of technology, assistant
superintendents, business manager, pupil personnel services director, principals,
assistant principals, psychologists, social workers, nurses, curriculum
director/coordinator, speech/language pathologists, substitute teachers, and all non-
certified personnel employed by the District.

1.2 Definition The term “teacher,” when used hereinafter in this agreement, shall
refer to all employed personnel represented by the Association in the negotiating unit as
determined in Section 1.1 above.

1.3 Scope The Board and Association agree to negotiate in good faith with
respect to: salaries, fringe benefits, and conditions of employment. The obligation to
negotiate in good faith does not require either party to agree to a proposal or require the
making of a concession.

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 1.4 Right to Organize Employees shall have the right to organize, join and
assist the Association and the right to refrain from organizing, joining and
assisting the Association and to participate or not to participate in professional
negotiations with the Board.

ARTICLE II
EFFECT OF AGREEMENT

2.1 Entire Agreement The parties mutually agree that the terms and conditions
set forth in this agreement represent the full and complete understanding and
commitment between the parties hereto. The terms and conditions of this agreement may
be modified by alteration, change, addition to, or deletion only through the mutual
consent of the parties in a written amendment executed in accordance with the
provisions of this agreement.

2.2 Copies of Agreement Copies of the current agreement shall be made available
to all professional employees of the District. Within thirty (30) days after the agreement
is signed, copies of this agreement shall be copied at the expense of the Board and
given to each bargaining unit member upon request. Newly hired members of the
bargaining unit shall be made aware of the FREA and directed to the FREA
Collective Bargaining Agreement, posted on the District’s website. In addition,
the Board shall provide the Association ten (10) copies of the agreement, as requested,
and an electronic file posted on the internet without charge to the Association.

2.3 Savings Should any article, section or clause of this agreement be declared
illegal by a court of competent jurisdiction, said article, section, or clause, as the case
may be, shall be automatically deleted from this agreement to the extent that it violated
the law. The remaining articles, sections, and clauses shall remain in full force and
effect for the duration of the agreement if not affected by the deleted article, section or
clause.

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 ARTICLE
Ill
NEGOTIATION
PROCEDURES

3.1 Commencement Negotiations shall begin no later than April 1 unless both
parties agree to an alternate date. Meetings shall be held as necessary at times and
places agreed to by both parties.

3.2 Tentative Agreements During negotiations, agreed upon material shall be

prepared for the Board and the Association and signed by the chief negotiators prior to
the adjournment of the meeting at which such agreement was reached.

3.3 Ratification When the Association and the Board reach tentative agreement on
all matters being negotiated, the items will be reduced to writing and shall be submitted
to the membership of the Association for ratification and the Board for final approval.

3.4 Access to Information If requested by the Association, the Board agrees to

make the following available for the Association's review. If the Association requests a
copy, items 1 and 2 shall be provided at no cost; the others shall be available at 10¢ a
page provided that five (5) days’ notice is given.

1. Minutes of the Board Meetings

2. Annual Audit Reports
3. Statistical information pertaining to teacher step placement
4. Annual Budgets
5. Salary schedules
6. Number of sick days accumulated by teacher (without names)
7. Name and address of insurance broker
8. Sabbaticals applied for
9. Current Average Daily Attendance (ADA) and projected ADA for the
following year
10. Extra Duty positions and stipends
11. Other information needed as approved by the Superintendent

3.5 Impasse If after a reasonable period of negotiations and within 45 days of

the scheduled start of the forthcoming school year, the parties have reached impasse, it
is agreed that the parties will jointly request Federal Mediation Conciliation Service
(FMCS) to appoint a mediator. Should FMCS be unavailable, the parties shall immediately
commence discussion as to a replacement. In the event that the parties cannot agree
upon a replacement, the IELRB shall be notified. The mediator shall not, without the
consent of both parties, make findings of fact or recommend terms of settlement.

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 ARTICLE IV
GRIEVANCE
PROCEDURE

4.1 Definition Any claim that there has been a violation, misinterpretation, or
misapplication of the terms of this agreement. A grievance must be submitted within
ten (10) business days of the occurrence of the event giving rise to the grievance. All time
limits consist of weekdays on which the Central Business Office is open. In counting days,
the first day will be the first full working day following the receipt of the grievance.

4.2
Procedures

4.2.1 Step 1 It is desirable for an employee and his/her appropriate

administrator to resolve grievances through informal communication. Before any
formal steps are taken, the employee must tell the administrator via written
communication that he/she wishes to discuss a possible grievance. The
administrator is responsible for arranging a suitable time and place to discuss the
possible violation, misinterpretation, or misapplication of the terms of this agreement.

If those circumstances where informal procedures fail or are inappropriate or where

the employee requests formal procedures, a grievance will be processed pursuant
to the steps set forth below.

4.2.2 Step 2 The grievant (teacher, groups of teachers, or Association) shall

file the grievance in writing to the immediately involved supervisor, who shall
arrange for a meeting with the grievant and the Association representative to take
place within ten (10) school days after receipt of the grievance. A decision
in writing shall be rendered within ten (10) school days of the conference.

4.2.3 Step 3 If the grievance is not settled at Step 2, the grievant shall file
the grievance in writing within ten (10) days to the Superintendent, who shall arrange
for a meeting with the grievant and the Association representative within ten (10)
school days after receipt of the grievance. A decision in writing shall be rendered
within fifteen (15) school days of the conference.

4.2.4 Step 4 If the grievance is not settled satisfactorily at Step 3, the grievant may
submit the grievance within twenty (20) school days to binding arbitration under the
Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) to submit a panel of seven (7)
Arbitrators. The parties shall alternately strike the names of Arbitrators, taking turns
as to the first strike. The person whose name remains shall be the Arbitrator, provided
that either party, before striking any names, shall have the right to reject one (1) panel
of Arbitrators. The Arbitrator shall have no power to add to, delete from, or change the
terms of this agreement. Expenses for the Arbitrator’s services and expenses which
are common to both parties to the arbitration shall be borne equally by the Board
and the Association.

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4.3 General Provisions

4.3.1 No Reprisals No reprisals shall be taken by the Board or

administration against an employee because of participation in any grievance.
Files of grievances shall be kept separate and distinct from the personnel files.

4.3.2 Association Representation The Association shall reserve the right to

have its representative present to state its views at any stage of the grievance.
The grievant has the right to Association representation at any stage of the
proceeding, prior to the disposition of any grievance. Where Association
representation is not involved, the disposition shall not be used by either party in
any future grievance on the issue.

4.3.3 Withdrawal A grievance may be withdrawn at any level without

establishing a precedent.

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 ARTICLE V
TEACHER
PROTECTION

5.1 Indemnity Any case of legal action against a teacher resulting from an
incident which occurred while engaged in the performance of required duties for School
District 142 shall be promptly reported to the Board or its designee. The Board will
indemnify and protect all teachers from damage claims and suits, including defense thereof,
as provided by Section 105 ILCS 5/10-20.20 of the Illinois School Code.

5.2 Reduction In Force In the event that the Board determines it to be necessary
to reduce the number of certified employees in the school system or to discontinue some
particular type of teaching service, then the written notice is to be mailed to the teacher
and also given to the teacher by either certified mail, return receipt requested, or
personal delivery with receipt at least 45 calendar days before the end of the school term
together with a statement of honorable dismissal and reasons therefore. The sequence
shall be:

Sequence of Dismissal

A. The sequence of dismissal shall be established each year by not less than 75
calendar days before the end of the school term. Each teacher will be
categorized into one or more positions for which the teacher is qualified to hold
based upon legal qualifications and any other qualifications established by the
District in a job description in place no later than May 10 of the prior
school year.

B. Within each position the District shall establish four groupings of teachers
qualified to hold the position as follows:

1. Grouping 1 shall consist of each teacher not in contractual continued

service who (i) has not received a performance evaluation rating, (ii) is
employed for one school term or less to replace a teacher on leave, or (iii) is
employed on a part-time basis as defined in Section 24-12 of the School
Code.

2. Grouping 2 shall consist of each teacher with a Needs Improvement or

Unsatisfactory performance evaluation rating on either of the teacher's last
2 performance evaluation ratings.

3. Grouping 3 shall consist of each teacher with a performance evaluation

rating of at least Proficient on both of the teacher's last 2 performance
evaluation ratings, if 2 ratings are available, or on the teacher's last
performance evaluation rating, if only one rating is available, unless the
teacher qualifies for placement into grouping 4.

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 4. Grouping 4 shall consist of each teacher whose last 2 performance
evaluation ratings are Excellent and each teacher with 2 Excellent
performance evaluation ratings out of the teacher's last 3 performance
evaluation ratings with a third rating of Proficient.

C. Among teachers qualified to hold a position, teachers must be dismissed in the

order of their groupings, with teachers in grouping one dismissed first and
teachers in grouping four dismissed last.

D. Within grouping 1, the sequence of dismissal is at the discretion of the school

district. Within grouping 2, the sequence of dismissal must be based upon
average performance evaluation ratings, with the teacher or teachers with the
lowest average performance evaluation rating dismissed first. A teacher's
average performance evaluation rating must be calculated using the average
of the teacher's last 2 performance evaluation ratings, if 2 ratings are
available, or the teacher's last performance evaluation rating, if only one rating
is available, using the following numerical values: 4 for Excellent; 3 for
Proficient or Satisfactory; 2 for needs Improvement; and 1 for Unsatisfactory.
As between or among teachers in grouping 2 with the same average
performance evaluation rating and within each of groupings 3 and 4, the
teacher or teachers with the shorter length of continuing service with the
school district or joint agreement must be dismissed first.

E. The school district shall establish a joint committee of equal representation

selected by the Superintendent for the District and the Teachers' Association for
the teachers to address matters related to B above as provided for in Section 24-
12(c) of the School Code. Agreement by the joint committee as to a matter
requires the majority vote of all committee members.

5.2.1 Seniority For the purposes of this Section 5.2, District seniority shall be defined
as the number of consecutive school terms as a full-time licensed teacher in the District.
Tenured teachers who have been employed for 100 or more days of the school year shall
receive a full year of seniority credit for that year; tenured teachers who have been
employed less than 100 days of the school year, with a minimum of 50 days of employment
shall receive a half year of seniority credit for that school term. In accordance with the
provisions of the Section 24-11 of the School Code, non-tenured teachers must be
employed for 120 days for a school term to qualify as a year of earned credit toward
seniority/tenure. After considering 5.2 above, in the event that District seniority is equal
between two or more tenured teachers, each legally qualified to hold an available position,
the decision as to which of the teachers are to be first honorably dismissed shall be
determined first by date of initial employment; second by total number of school terms
as a teacher in the District, whether consecutive or not; third by total number of years of
teaching experience. Tenured employees rehired as part-time employees as a result of
forced reduction shall receive a full year of credit for seniority purposes for each year of

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forced part-time service. Other tenured employees who have served in the District on
a part-time basis shall receive credit for seniority purposes in the following manner:
one-half (.5) year of credit for half-time or less; a full year of credit for each year of service
on more than a half-time (.5) basis. (105ILCS 5/24-11)

5.2.2 Recall If a teacher is terminated due to a decision of the Board to decrease

the number of teachers employed or discontinue some types of teaching service, then, if
the Board has any vacancy for the following school term or within one calendar year
from the beginning of the following school term, the positions thereby becoming
available shall be tendered to the teachers so dismissed who were in groupings 3 or 4
so far as they are legally qualified based upon legal qualifications and any other
qualifications established by the District by May 10th prior to the date the positions
became available to hold such positions at the time the position(s) become vacant or
prior to the time when such a vacant position(s) is filled. Among teachers eligible for
recall, the order of recall shall be in reverse order of dismissal. Vacant position(s) shall
be tendered to eligible teachers on recall by Federal Express or a similar private carrier
service. Teachers must respond to this notice within 14 calendar days of its receipt
provided that if the notice letter is returned undelivered, a second letter will be sent by
certified mail and the teacher must respond within 7 days of the second mailing by
certified mail. If two or more such teachers respond affirmatively, the teacher with the
most District seniority will be the first employed. When recalled, teachers shall be given
written notice of their reemployment and notice of their assignments as soon as reasonably
possible. Any dismissed tenured teacher who is tendered a full-time position and who
does not accept the position within 14 calendar days of the receipt of the notice or
within 7 days of the second mailing by certified mail shall waive all further recall rights
provided, however, that no fewer than 21 calendar days shall pass before such waiver is
effective. The Superintendent may, upon written request of the teacher, in his/her
discretion, for sufficient cause, allow a recalled teacher to reject a tendered position and
remain on the recall list with such recall rights as would have existed had the tender not
been made. Any dismissed tenured teacher who is tendered a part-time or temporary
position and who rejects such position shall waive all further recall rights to that part-time
or temporary position but such refusal shall not otherwise affect such teacher's recall rights.

5.2.3 Notice To Association Before the Board takes final action to make any
reductions in tenured teachers, the Superintendent shall have a meeting with the
Association within at least five school days prior regarding such reductions and, if feasible,
before taking final action will give the Association an opportunity to submit to the Board
its views and suggestions regarding the reductions.

5.2.4 Seniority List On or before January 20th of each successive school term,
each teacher shall submit to the administration at the District's main office a list of the
subject areas in which the teacher believes he/she is legally qualified to teach. The
administration shall annually, on or before February 1st of each successive school term,
prepare a seniority list. This list shall rank teachers by seniority in the District and shall
indicate which subject areas each teacher is legally qualified to teach according to the
statement made by the teacher and as verified by the administration pursuant to the

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transcripts and official documents in the teacher's personnel file. Teachers are responsible
for keeping their files up to date by submitting transcripts or other official documents to
the administration. The seniority list shall be available in the main office of each school
building and at the District's main office. Within five (5) working days of the availability
of the list, any teacher may submit in writing a statement challenging his/her placement
on the list or the accuracy of the designation of the subject areas in which the teacher is
legally qualified to teach. Any teacher who does not so challenge the accuracy of the list is
deemed to have accepted it and forfeits his/her right to be considered for an opening in any
other subject area, based on seniority, until the following school term. The Superintendent
or his/her designee shall promptly meet with any teacher so challenging the accuracy of
the list to resolve the matter if possible. On or before February 20th of each successive
school term, a final seniority list, c o m p r i s e d o f a l l F R E A p o s i t i o n s , as approved
by the administration shall be available in the main office of each school building.

5.3 Notice of Tenure Teachers shall acquire tenure in accord with the provisions
of Section 24-11 of the School Code. Teachers shall be notified in writing that they have
acquired tenure status within thirty calendar days of the end of the school term after which
they have acquired tenure. (105 ILCS 5/24-11-5/24-16)

5.4 Discipline Conference When an employee is required to appear before the

Board or the Administration in any meeting which is called to discuss the teacher's
imminent dismissal, imminent suspension, imminent salary loss or imminent written
reprimand, the employee shall be entitled to have a representative of his/her choice
present (provided that the term "written reprimand" does not include teacher
evaluations). When an employee is required to appear before the Board, he/she shall be
advised in writing of the reasons for the request.

5.4.1 Compensation Reduction The teacher's compensation shall not be

reduced as a disciplinary action except as permitted by law. Prior to any such
reduction, the teacher will be given a written notice of the reasons for the
proposed reduction and, upon request, a hearing before the Board on the matter.

5.4.2 Pending Dismissal Hearing Pending dismissal hearing pursuant to

Section 105 ILCS 5/24-12 of the School Code for reasons or causes approved by
the Board, a teacher, if in the opinion of the Board the interests of the school
require it, may be suspended by the Board pending the hearing; but if acquitted,
such teacher shall not suffer the loss of any salary by reason of the suspension.

5.4.3 Suspension If no dismissal hearing is then pending, a teacher may

be suspended by the Board without pay only after the teacher has received
written notice of the reasons for the proposed suspension and an opportunity to be
heard on the matter by the Board. The written notice shall be given at least eight
(8) working days prior to the hearing. At this hearing, the teacher will have the right
to representation, the right to present evidence and information on his/her
behalf and the right to cross-examine witnesses. An electronic or verbatim

14
 transcript of the hearing will be made. Subsequent to the hearing, the Board shall
determine whether the greater weight of the evidence presented established
sufficient cause(s) to suspend the teacher without pay. The Board shall issue its
decision in writing. Unless charges of dismissal are approved by the Board, no
disciplinary suspension shall exceed five (5) work days. A teacher suspension may
be submitted to arbitration under step 4 of the grievance procedure, provided,
however, that the decision of the Board shall be presumed valid and, the arbitrator
shall sustain the suspension unless he/she concludes that it was arbitrary and
capricious. The arbitrator shall review the record of proceedings had before the
Board and shall accept oral or written argument from the parties.

5.4.4 Emergency Suspension In an emergency situation where the continued

presence of the teacher on the job is detrimental to the educational process, the
Superintendent may suspend a teacher for up to five (5) days; provided that the
teacher shall suffer no loss of pay if upon any hearing before the Board the
suspension is set aside otherwise, the Board may sustain the suspension or take
such further action as may be appropriate in the circumstances of the case.

5.4.5 Other Discipline Disciplinary actions, other than those listed in

subsections 1, 2, 3 and 4 above, shall be for just cause defined as any violation of
Board policy, rules or regulations or specific directives, of an administrator. Prior to
such other disciplinary action, the teacher shall be entitled to a meeting with the
appropriate administrator to discuss the matter. Disciplinary action shall not be
interpreted to include teacher evaluation.

5.5 Teacher Personnel File Only one official file shall be kept for each teacher in
the district. A teacher will be allowed to examine her/his licensed employee record file,
which is maintained in the District Central Office, in the presence of the Superintendent
or her/his designee at a mutually agreed upon time. All items in her/his file may be
examined with the exception of confidential materials exempt by law including letters
of reference and documents such as credentials from a college or university. (Personnel
Record Review Act, Section 10)

The teacher has the privilege of responding to correspondence placed in the

Personnel File and having the reply placed in her/his folder if she/he desires. The teacher
shall have the right, at their expense, to have photocopies of any material, except those
documents exempt by law from access.

The file may contain:

a, Latest official transcripts of credits

b. Copy of teacher's certificate/ licensure materials properly certified and up to
date
c. Official record of previous service
d. Necessary references and documents as requested by the Office of the
Superintendent

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 e. A copy of any correspondence to or about the individual teacher, provided
that prior written notification is given as to placement in the folder
h. Teacher evaluative information

5.6 Rules and Regulations The Board will make an earnest effort to ensure that its
rules and regulations governing employee conduct shall be reasonable and will
endeavor to apply such rules in a fair and equitable manner.

5.7 Parent Complaints Whenever possible a teacher shall be informed of valid

complaints directed to the principal concerning a teacher by a parent.

It is desirable that any problems or concerns expressed by a parent of a student and

directed toward a teacher be resolved at the teacher level first. The teacher should be
involved in the resolution of problems initially, and the Administration shall make every
attempt, whenever possible, to channel parent complaints directly to the teacher. It is
understood that in emergency matters, the Administration reserves the right to
immediately work towards the resolution of parent complaints/concerns. In such
emergency situations, the Administration will keep the teacher informed of the parent's
complaints/concerns and the progress of the resolution, when appropriate.

In the event that a parent does not select a parent-teacher conference for the
resolution of the complaint/concern, the Administration will inform the teacher of the
situation and work to bring the teacher and parent together for problem resolution. The
Administration will seek a collaborative problem-solving process through a parent-
teacher-administrator conference. It is desirable to resolve the problem at the school
building level through facilitation by the building principal. The teacher may not refuse to
be present at this conference with the parent and the building principal.

If problem resolution fails at the school building level, the Administration will seek a
collaborative problem-solving process through a parent-teacher meeting with the
Superintendent or his/her designee. The teacher may not refuse to be present at this
conference with the parent and the Superintendent (or designee).

If problem resolution reaches the level of the Board of Education, the teacher may request
a member of the Association to be present at any meeting requested by the Board for
the purpose of resolving the parent's complaint/concern. The Association member may
act as observer or representative in such meetings.

Nothing in this section shall prevent an administrator from hearing a parent complaint.
However, no action may be taken against a teacher without a good faith effort to achieve
problem resolution by following the guidelines listed in this article.

16
 ARTICLE
VI
VACANCIES, TRANSFERS AND PROMOTIONS

6.1 Notice Prior to filling positions on a permanent basis, the District shall post
vacancies on the District website for teaching, summer school, and administrative
positions during the school year and during the summer. The association
president(s) will be notified of all openings posted. Teachers interested in such
positions shall submit their letter of interest in writing to the Superintendent
or his/her designee. Presently employed personnel shall partici pate in an
informal interview if they have applied for the job.

6.2 Transfers It may be necessary to relocate a teacher to another building or

reassign the teacher. Administration will attempt to avoid involuntary transfers. The
decision to relocate/reassign a teacher will first be based on the legal qualifications of
the teacher then by FREA seniority to best serve the students of School District 142.
When two or more teachers are comparable in legal qualifications and licensure, the
teacher with the least district FREA seniority to best serve the students of School District
142 will be involuntarily transferred. If a relocation/reassignment is deemed necessary,
the teacher will have the opportunity to speak with his/her direct supervisor as well as the
Superintendent to discuss the matter with union representation present. Written notification
with reasons why shall be given to the teacher concerned as soon as practical. Teachers
who object to a transfer shall notify the Superintendent in writing. Upon request, any
teacher involuntarily transferred shall be released from his/her contract. If a teacher is
transferred to another building due to a position closing, and that position opens again
prior to t h e s t a r t o f t h e s c h o o l y e a r , he/she will be given first consideration
to return to the original position. Teachers involuntarily transferred after a school term
has begun shall be scheduled 3 days of release time from regular teaching duties without
loss of pay, to prepare for the new assignment.

17
 ARTICLE
VII
LEAVES

7.1 Sick Leave Full time teachers shall be granted sick leave as indicated below. Part-
time teachers shall receive a pro-rata sick leave allocation. If an employee begins mid-year, a pro-
rated amount of sick days and personal days will be granted based upon the number of days
remaining in the school year, rounded to the nearest half (.5) day. A sick day equals the number of
hours that a teacher is scheduled to work. Sick leave shall be interpreted to mean personal illness,
quarantine at home, or serious illness or death in the immediate family or household. The
immediate family for purposes of this section shall include: parents, spouses, brothers, sisters,
children, grandparents, grandchildren, parents-in-law, brothers in-law, sisters-in-law,
d o m e s t i c p a r t n e r , and legal guardians. The parties agree that the misuse of sick leave
is a serious offense and that the use of sick leave to extend weekends or vacations, to attend
family activities, or for any reason other than personal illness or serious illness or death in the
immediate family will result in discipline which may include, but not be limited to the docking of
pay for time misused, suspension or dismissal. There shall be no limits on accumulation of
unused sick days.

FREA employees who work a standard teacher contract are awarded sick, based on years of District
142 service, leave according to the following schedule.

District 142
Year of Service Days Awarded
0-9 13
10-15 13 + 1
16-20 13 + 2
21+ 13 + 3

The Superintendent or designee may require a physician's certificate, at the teacher's expense,
as condition for paying sick leave after a teacher has been absent for three consecutive days for
personal illness, or as it deems necessary in other cases.(105 ILCS
5/24-
6)

If the Superintendent or designee requires a physician's certificate during an absence of less than
three days or the board formally directs a teacher to undergo a physical examination after the
initial medical examination required for employment, the District shall pay the expenses incurred
by the teacher. (105 ILCS 5/24-6)

7.2 Sick Leave Day Donations In case of prolonged or exceptional cases of absence due to
catastrophic illness, the Board, at its discretion, may allow the voluntary donation of sick leave
days by other employees to be credited to the absent employee up to a maximum of sixty (60) total
days.

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 7.2.1 To qualify for such donation, an absent employee must first exhaust
all available paid leave. FREA will first report the request for additional sick leave time to
the Superintendent and will coordinate the request for donations.

7.3 Personal Days Each teacher shall be entitled to two (2) personal leave
days per year. These may be used for personal business, which cannot be conducted
on other than a school day. Teachers must make a written request to the
administration for personal leave. The request need not state the reason for the
personal leave. The request must be submitted to the administration at least two (2)
days in advance of the proposed leave. In case of emergency, the two (2) days notification
requirement may be waived. Personal days may be used in half-day increments. Such
leave may not be taken the day before or after a school holiday, on an Institute Day, or
at any time during the first or last five days of school. If a teacher has two (2) personal
days remaining at the end of a school year, he/she will be entitled to carry over one (1)
personal day into the following year. Any remaining unused personal leave days shall be
added to the individual's accumulated sick leave. The number of personal leave days
on a teacher's record may not exceed three (3) days. No more than two days
may be taken consecutively without the Superintendent's approval.

7.4 Family & Medical Leave Act Serious Health Conditions Any eligible
employee who does not have sufficient paid leave time available to allow such
employee at least 12 workweeks of leave in any 12-month contract year for absences
caused by a serious health condition of the employee and absences required by the
need to care for a spouse, son, daughter or parent who suffers from a serious health
condition, shall be granted sufficient unpaid leave days so as to assure such
employee a minimum of 12 workweeks of leave in any such 12-month period. For the
purpose of leave under this section, eligible employees are defined as those who have
been employed by the District for at least 12 months and who have worked at least
1,000 hours during the previous 12-month period. With regard to leave under this
section, the Board reserves the right to require medical certification and to apply the
Rules Applicable to Periods Near the Conclusion of an Academic Term as set forth in
the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993. The 12 workweeks of leave available
hereunder may be reduced by any leave taken in the same contract year under
Section 7.1 of this agreement.

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 7.5 Family & Medical Leave Act: Paternity-Maternity-Adoption An employee
who is an “eligible employee” as defined in the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, is
entitled to elect up to 12 workweeks of parental leave because of the birth of a son or
daughter or because of the placement of a son or daughter with an employee for adoption
or foster care. The employee must submit a district form requesting such leave 30
school days in advance of the intended leave.

7.5.1 A teacher who is unable to work due to a disability caused or

contributed to by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions must utilize
available sick leave for such absences in the same manner as it may be used for
any other sickness or disability. In the event a teacher selects this option, a teacher
shall return to work when medically able to do so or take leave pursuant to 7.5.2
below. A teacher on leave hereunder shall be subject to dismissal due to a reduction
in force on the same terms as teachers not on leave.

7.5.2 An eligible employee as defined in the Family and Medical Leave Act of
1993 is entitled to elect to take up to 12 workweeks of parental leave during a
contract year because of the birth of a son or daughter or because of the
placement of a son or daughter with the employee for adoption or foster care.
A teacher shall provide at least 30 school days advance notice of the intention to
take leave under this section except that if the date of birth or placement requires
the leave to begin in less than 30 school days, the employee shall provide such
notice as is practical. This parental leave must be taken within the 12-month
period beginning on the date of birth or placement for adoption or foster care
or the first day of teacher attendance. This parental leave shall not be taken
intermittently without the written consent of the Superintendent. Any paid sick leave
used by a teacher due to disability caused or contributed to by pregnancy, childbirth,
or related medical conditions subsequent to delivery shall constitute part of the
12- week parental leave provided for herein. Parental leave under 7.5.2 shall be
without pay and no benefits shall accrue during the period of leave. However, a
teacher shall not lose any benefits accrued prior to the date on which the
leave began and during the period of this leave. The District shall maintain the
teacher's coverage under any applicable group health plan for the duration of the
12 work week leave at the level and under the conditions of coverage that would
have been provided if the teacher had continued to work during the period of
leave. Pursuant to the provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993,
the District reserves the right to recover any insurance premiums paid for the
period should the teacher fail to return to work at the expiration of the leave
period, except if the failure to return to work is because of the continuation,
recurrence or onset of a serious health condition or other conditions beyond the
control of the employee. When a teacher returns from a leave, the Superintendent
will give first consideration to returning the teacher to the same position he/she
held prior to the leave. However, the administration may assign him/her to a
different, similar available position if deemed to be in the best interest of the School
District. A teacher on leave hereunder shall be subject to dismissal due to
reduction in force on the same terms as teachers not on leave.

20
 7.6 Long-Term Parental Leave A teacher who has completed four full years of
service i n D i s t r i c t 1 4 2 may be granted an unpaid long-term parental leave subject
to the below listed conditions and limitations. Teachers must either use paid sick leave
for disability due to delivery of a child pursuant to 7.5.1 above and return to work when
the disability ends or elect a 12 workweek leave pursuant to 7.5.2 above, or instead,
a teacher who has completed four full years of service in District 142 may elect to
take a long-term parental leave under this section as provided below. Teachers who take
an FMLA Leave as described in Section 7.5.1 or 7.5.2 are ineligible for a Long-Term
Parental Leave per occurrence.

7.6.1 All requests for unpaid long-term parental leaves must be

submitted in writing to the Superintendent at least three months prior to the
anticipated beginning date of the leave unless circumstances later require the
leave to begin sooner. The leave shall begin at a mutually agreeable date, but
in any event no later than the date of delivery or the date of placement of an
adopted o r f o s t e r child. The duration of the leave shall be for the remainder of
the semester or trimester for Ridge Early Childhood Center or the school term in
which it begins, plus one additional school term, if requested; return will be at the
beginning of the following school term.

7.6.2 A teacher may request an additional one-year extension of an unpaid

long-term parental leave by making written request to the Superintendent prior to
March 1st to be eligible for consideration for an extension during the next
school term. The decision of the Superintendent to approve or not to approve a
request for extension in unpaid long-term parental leave shall not be precedential
in future request for extensions, and not subject to grievance.

7.6.3 A teacher on long-term parental leave must notify the

Superintendent, in writing, by March 1st regarding intention to return to the
District at the beginning of the following school term. The notice of intention to
return must be received by the Superintendent within the time provided above;
if not so received, the teacher shall be deemed to have resigned from employment.

7.6.4 While on unpaid long-term parental leave, a teacher may continue

to participate in the District insurance plan in the same manner of participation
as would be afforded to a teacher receiving an unpaid leave of absence for any
other purpose. While on an unpaid leave, the teacher must pay the full premium
cost to continue participating, provided, however, that for an unpaid long-term
parental leave the District shall maintain the teacher's coverage under any
applicable group health insurance plan for a period of 3 months from the
commencement of the leave or the date of delivery, whichever occurs first,
under the same terms and conditions that would have applied if the teacher had
continued to work. Any teacher granted a long-term parental leave who has been
employed one-hundred-twenty (120) days of school prior to the commencement of
the leave, shall be considered to have completed a full year for salary schedule
advancement.

21
22
 7.6.5 Upon return from the leave, the administration will give first
consideration to returning the teacher to the same position he/she held prior to
the leave. However, the administration may assign him/her to a different, similar
available position if deemed to be in the best interest of the District. Any teacher
granted a parental leave who has been employed one-hundred-twenty (120) days
of school prior to the commencement of the leave, shall be considered to have
completed a full year for salary schedule advancement.

7.6.6 A teacher shall be permitted to retain all unused sick leave and shall
not accumulate sick leave while on the leave. Further sick and personal days will not
be granted until the employee returns to work.

7.6.7 A teacher on long-term parental leave is subject to dismissal due to

reduction in force on the same terms and conditions as teachers not on leave.

7.6.8 FREA seniority is not accrued during a Long-Term parental leave.

However, if a teacher has been employed one-hundred-twenty (120) days of school
prior to the Long-Term Parental Leave, a year of service on the salary schedule shall
be granted.

7.7 Bereavement Leave The Superintendent shall grant up to three (3) days of
leave per incident, without loss of pay or sick leave, which may be used for a death in the
immediate family as defined in Section 7.1 above or another significant family member as
approved by the Superintendent.

7.8 Other Leaves Any tenured teacher may apply for a leave of absence
without pay for a period of up to one year. The starting and ending dates of such a
proposed leave shall be in accordance with a plan arranged between the teacher
and the Superintendent with due consideration given to such factors as educational
continuity. An Association representative may be present at such meeting when requested
by the teacher applicant. A leave of absence hereunder may be extended for up to one
additional year at the request of a teacher and subject to approval by the Board. Any
leave granted hereunder shall be at the discretion of the Board. Any tenured teacher who
is granted a leave hereunder but has been employed for one hundred (100) days of
school shall receive a full year of credit on the salary schedule ( a n d a y e a r o f
s e n i o r i t y c r e d i t ) for that year. With the exception of leaves granted for medical
disability, leaves granted hereunder must commence as of the first day of a school term.

7.9 Professional Leave for Association Conferences The District shall release two
(2) officers or representatives of the FREA for two (2) days for the purpose of attending
the lEA workshops, conferences, or convention each year with no loss of personal or
sick days. The FREA shall reimburse the District for the cost of a substitute when used
to cover the absence of a teacher during this professional leave.

23
 7.10 Sabbatical Leaves Sabbatical leaves shall be available and administered in
accordance with the applicable provisions of the Illinois School Code.

7.11 Jury Leave A teacher will suffer no loss of pay for performing jury duty provided
the teacher submits evidence of such jury duty, such as a jury duty wage check. The teacher
must turn in the jury wage check for no loss in District pay.

24
 ARTICLE VIII
TEACHING
CONDITIONS

8.1 Pupil-Teacher Ratio The administration shall attempt to keep the class size under
28 and shall attempt to keep the lowest class sizes in the District in levels K through 3.

8.2 Internal Substitution If a teacher is asked to substitute during their preparation

time, he/she shall be paid at the rate listed in Appendix C. Principals will determine the
need and selection of an individual for substitution in any class.

8.3 Before- and After-School Activities As an important component of professional

responsibility, teachers will participate in school activities before school, after school, and
scheduled in the evening without additional compensation. The Administration shall make
reasonable efforts to disseminate information by email in lieu of calling a meeting.

Professional responsibilities include the following:

a) Open House – attended by all staff in District

b) Graduation – attended by all middle school staff
c) 8th Grade Awards Night - attended by any staff presenting an award (and
compensated at the hourly rate with a maximum number of hours set by
the Superintendent for reimbursement)
d) Curriculum Nights – attended by all teachers in their respective buildings
e) District Committee Meetings
f) Building Staff Meetings – (1x per month, not to exceed 40 minutes) There
may be no more than one (1) regularly-scheduled, after-school building staff
meeting per month unless an emergency circumstance arises. If any
additional meetings are necessary, prior approval must be obtained from the
Superintendent. Teachers are expected to attend all Building Staff Meetings.
g) Grade Level/Department Meetings – (2x per month) Specialists will
attend two Grade Level Meetings per month, rotating grade levels
throughout the year.
h) 1st & 2nd Year New Teacher Meetings

In addition, a staff member's professional responsibility will include additional opportunities

to be involved in the school community. A sign-up sheet for b e f o r e s c h o o l ,
after school, and evening activities will include the following:

• Every month at the faculty meeting, a sign-up sheet will be distributed

which will include all activities at that building for the month (i.e. events, dances,
games, sports, etc.)

• After the sheet is distributed for all staff to sign up, any remaining slots
will be assigned by the school administration when there is a need.

25
 8.4 Professional Library Each building shall provide a professional library so
that teachers may have the advantage to grow professionally.

8.5 Professional Development Activities

8.5.1 Extension Courses Teachers shall have the opportunity to have a

college extension course offered in the District after school hours, if the
enrollment warrants it.

8.5.2 Workshops and Conferences Release time for workshops and

conferences must clear official channels and be approved by the Superintendent
or his/her designee.

8.5.3 In-Service Training The District may establish and conduct in-service
training programs for teachers. Any teacher may be required to attend in-service
training during the regular teacher work day without additional compensation. In-
service training programs conducted outside of the regular teacher work day
including those conducted during the summer recess shall be voluntary, and if
compensation is to be provided, and teachers shall be compensated at the hourly
rate. Teachers shall only be compensated for training conducted outside the
regular teacher work day or during the summer term when the training is
designated by the Superintendent as training that is mandatory.

8.5.4 Trainers The District subscribes to a train-the-trainer model for

professional development when appropriate. CPDUs or the equivalent will be
offered for those who lead professional development.

8.5.5 Videotaping Teachers may authorize the use of videotaping within their
classrooms for the purpose of teacher training or personal reflection. Videotaping
shall not be used for evaluative purposes.

8.6 Teaching Assignments

8.6.1 Notification Teachers shall be given notice prior to the close of the
school term of their tentative building and teaching assignments, including grade
level and subject area for the coming year, with final verification two weeks prior
to the opening of school if by that time there has been a change in the tentative
building or teaching assignment.

8.6.2 Licensure Teachers shall be assigned within the scope of their

licenses. If, after final verification, a change in the assignment must take
place, a conference to discuss the matter will be held with the teacher
concerned.

26
 8.6.3 Job Sharing Two employees may apply for and may receive
approval to perform part-time services (share a position) under the following
conditions: (a) the employees present a workable plan to share a position
which is approved by the principal and the Superintendent, (b) the teachers
shall perform four clock hours of service and shall receive all salary and
fringe benefits on a 50% basis, (c) such shared position shall be approved
for one school term, but the - plan may be renewed for an additional year,
and (d) any tenured teacher participating in this plan (shared position) shall
retain full-time tenure rights, but shall be subject to dismissal on the
same terms and conditions applicable to all tenured teachers.

8.7 Teachers' Regular Routine Responsibilities

8.7.1 Sign In/Out Teachers must fob in and fob out at their respective building(s).
Teachers should be in their building at least ten (10) minutes prior to student arrival
and should remain in their building at least 10 minutes after student dismissal. The
regular teacher workday (time present at school) shall not exceed seven (7) hours. If
a teacher leaves the building during duty free lunch, the teacher will inform the principal
or designee.

8.7.2 Lunch All teacher lunch periods shall be duty free.

8.7.3 Meetings Teachers are required to attend all scheduled meetings,

either before or after school. Advance notice of meetings will be given unless
an emergency arises. Each building principal will establish a consistent day for
building meetings. Teachers should not request to be excused from these
meetings. Shall a Teacher be required to attend a meeting outside of the listed
requirements (8.3), the meeting will not exceed one hour in length. If the meeting
exceeds one hour, the teacher will be compensated at the hourly contractual rate.

Each school year, committee work will be completed. Committee work

may change subject to mandates. Teachers are required to participate on at least
one district level committee per school year. Teachers will be provided an
opportunity to request placement on District level committees. Whenever possible,
the district administration will make an assignment based on these requests. A
teacher may elect to participate on more than one committee. As District and building
priorities differ from year to year, the number of meetings may vary. Meetings may
be scheduled before or after school to accommodate the different building starting
and ending times. The meetings will not exceed one hour in length.

All new teachers will be part of the District mentoring program, will be assigned a
mentor, and are required to attend all mentoring meetings. Teachers should not
request to be excused from these meetings.

27
 The District continues to participate in continuous improvement in the curriculum
development process. Curriculum work may be completed during the summer or
after regular school hours. All teachers are responsible for collaborative creation
and implementation of the curriculum and instruction framework of the
school District. Full participation within this process enhances teaching and learning.
Therefore, participation in curriculum development is expected and encouraged.
Curriculum work outside of the normal work hours will be compensated at the
established hourly rate.

Meetings will not be scheduled on the fourth Monday of the month, such date being
reserved for association meetings. The Union president will notify the building
administration in advance of these meetings in order to reserve space within the
District buildings.

Additional meetings subject to mandates may be scheduled.

8.7.4 Parent Teacher Conferences/Meetings An integral and important

component of educating students is ongoing communication with parents/guardians
and families.

Regular Full Day Parent/Teacher Conferences will be scheduled during

the school year. The length of the Full-Day Parent/Teacher Conference will not exceed
the length of a normal school day excluding any lunch/dinner breaks. There will be no
student attendance on Full Day Parent/Teacher Conference Day(s).

8.7.5 P l a n Time Each licensed staff member shall have an average of 200
minutes of Plan Time per full week of student attendance for the 2022-2023, 2023-2024,
and 2024-2025 School Years. Plan time for part-time employees will be provided on a
pro-rata (prorated) basis. During their 200 minutes of Plan Time, the teacher shall have
no regularly-assigned duties.

8.7.6 Overload A teacher who teaches a zero-hour class before the start of
the regular school day or after the end of the regular school day, when said teacher
already teaches a full course load, will be compensated at 1/8 of their current salary for
each additional class. (This does not apply to remedial support, tutorial, co-curricular,
or extracurricular activities.)

8.7.7 Student Records Licensed staff members shall have one school day
immediately following midterms and three school days following the close of the grading
period to record grades for report card/reporting purposes.

8.8 School Calendar The Board shall set the calendar for the District.
The salary schedule (Article XIV) shall apply to a 185-day calendar (5 days will
be non-attendance emergency days). If the Board adopts a calendar that exceeds
the above, each teacher shall be paid at the rate of 1/180 of his/her yearly basic

28
salary per day.
If the five (5) emergency days are not used for emergency purposes, they shall not
become employee work days, and a time for the closing of school shall be determined
by May 1st. If an emergency occurs after May 1st the teachers shall work days up to 180
without additional compensation. It is agreed that the District may amend the number
of non-attendance emergency days as may be appropriate in the event the Illinois
School Code is amended to require a school calendar in excess of the five
nonattendance emergency days now required. Prior to making a recommendation
to the Board regarding the school calendar, the Superintendent will meet with
the Association President(s) to discuss the school calendar. The Association
President(s) shall have the right to make recommendations to the Superintendent
regarding the school calendar.

29
 ARTICLE IX
SUMMER SCHOOL

9.1 Summer School Hiring Standards Preference in filling positions in summer

school will be given to regularly appointed teachers in the District who plan to return to
the District for the full school year subsequent to the summer session or those who
have been granted Board-approved leaves. The administration will consider such
factors as a teacher's qualifications and seniority in the District. District seniority is
defined in Section 5.2.3 of this Agreement.

9.2 Summer School Rate Summer School teachers will be compensated at the
hourly rate as established within this contractual agreement. (See Appendix C)

30
 ARTICLE X
EVALUATION

The District has developed an evaluation in accordance with the provisions of

Article 105 ILCS 5/24A of the School Code. The Board agrees that no changes will be
made to the provisions of the plan without prior notice to the Association and that changes
shall be developed in cooperation with the Association.

31
 ARTICLE XI
COMPENSATION

11.1 Salary and Coursework Compensation Due to the fact that the salary schedule
was redesigned effective for the 2008-2009 school year, teachers employed during the
2007-2008 school year were placed on the 2008-2009 schedule at designated steps. A
2008-2009 placement list is maintained by both the Board and the Association. Step
movement for 2009-2010 and thereafter shall be from the 2008-2009 designated
placements. In recognition of the effects of the redesigned salary schedule, certain teachers
employed for the 2007-2008 school year shall be removed from the salary schedule and
shall receive salary increases each of the years of the contract as agreed. These
teachers, along with teachers who do not take additional coursework, will have their salary
frozen and will receive a $1,000, non-compounding stipend for the 2022-2023, 2023-2024,
and 2024-2025 school years.

The salary and benefits for part-time teachers shall be prorated to reflect the percent of
time the teacher is employed for the school year. Teachers' salaries for school years 2022-
2023, 2023-2024, and 2024-2025 are set forth in Appendix A-1, A-2, and A-3 of this
negotiated agreement.
11.1.1 Placement on the Salary Schedule Full credit will be granted on the
salary schedule for a maximum of seven (7) years of successful teaching
experience earned while fully licensed and permanently employed as a teacher in a
fully accredited public or private elementary or secondary school. Exceptions can be
made to the seven (7) years of credit and Salary Schedule placement with approval
of the Superintendent, for difficult to fill positions.

11.1.2 Advancement on the Salary Schedule Teachers who have

completed coursework will be advanced on the salary scale based on completed
approved coursework as described in Section 12.1 Tuition Reimbursement of this
agreement. Vertical advancement on the salary schedule is limited to one step per
year in all cases where advancement to another lane from off schedule placement
was made due to additional college credits.

11.2 Pay Periods All teachers will be paid on a 24-pay cycle per year.

11.3 Payroll Deductions The Board shall, upon the written request of an
employee, withhold from the compensation of that employee any dues, payments or
contributions payable to an employee labor organization. An amount shall be withheld from
each regular payroll period which is equal to the pro-rata share of the annual dues plus any
payments or contributions. The Board shall transmit such withholdings to the specified labor
organization within ten (10) working days from the time of withholding. Authorizations for
dues deductions shall remain in effect from year to year unless the employee revokes the
authorization in writing. Upon the written request of an employee, the Board shall
withhold insurance contributions, credit union, and Tax-Sheltered Annuity (403 B/Roth 403
B). Employees will be notified in writing by August 31st of their withholdings.

32
 ARTICLE XII
FRINGE
BENEFITS

12.1 Tuition Reimbursement Credit for c o u r s e w o r k beyond the

Bachelor's or Master’s Degree will be granted only for courses approved in advance by
the Superintendent. For coursework to be approved for credit on the Salary Schedule
and/or Tuition Reimbursement, t h e following guidelines must be met:

1. For a Master’s Program, a letter of intent and schedule of courses required for
the degree must be submitted to the Superintendent for approval prior to
enrollment. Once approved, the selection of courses cannot be altered without
prior approval of the Superintendent.

2. For coursework outside of a designated Master’s Program, the teacher must

submit the “APPROVAL FOR COURSEWORK” form prior to enrollment.
Coursework information, including anticipated number of contact hours must be
attached to this form.

3. A credit hour shall be defined as 15 hours of contact time directly related to

coursework/course chosen.

4. Pre- and Post-Master’s coursework must be related to the teacher’s educational

assignment or field, or be in an area designated as a shortage area by the
District.

5. Credit on the Salary Schedule will be awarded annually provided official secure
and/or sealed transcript for completed coursework is submitted to the
Superintendent’s Office before October 1st of the year of advancement. A revised
Teacher’s Contract will be then issued to the teacher for signature, and the District
Business Office will be informed for adjustments to payroll. Salary Schedule
changes will be credited no later than the third pay period following October 1st,
retroactive to the first day of the school year of the year of advancement.

6. The Board will provide reimbursement at the rate of $160.00 per semester credit
hour for the 2022-2023, 2023-2024, and 2024-2025 school years. Generally,
reimbursement is limited to 12 semester credit hours per school year unless a
teacher is enrolled in an approved Master’s Program. A teacher enrolled in a
Master’s Program will be limited to 18 credit hours per school year. For purposes
of this section, courses completed between July 1st and June 30th of a specific
school year shall be attributed to that to the recently completed school year.

33
 7. Upon completion of two full school years of continuous full-time employment
within the School District, a teacher will be eligible for tuition reimbursement for
courses beginning July 1st, at the beginning of the next school year.

8. To receive tuition reimbursement, teachers must fill out the TUITION

REIMBURSEMENT FORM attaching documentation from the university of actual
tuition paid and a report card showing successful completion of coursework with
an A or B. No classes will be reimbursed that are graded on a pass/fail basis.
Request for reimbursement must be made within 120 days following completion
of the coursework.

9. Tuition reimbursement shall be paid twice annually, in January and July. To be

eligible for reimbursement, a TUITION REIMBURSEMENT FORM, with all
required documentation attached, must be emailed to the Superintendent’s
Secretary by January 1st or July 1st, respectively, in order to be included in the
January or July reimbursement.

10. If a teacher leaves the District for outside employment within two years of
completion of Master’s Degree coursework, he/she will be required to reimburse
tuition expenses paid by the District. If a teacher leaves the District for outside
employment within one year of completion of Pre- or Post-Master’s Degree
coursework, he/she will be required to reimburse tuition expenses paid by the
District and any fees (including attorney’s fees) to collect expenses.

11. One official, secure or sealed transcript must be submitted to the Superintendent’s
Office upon completion of a pre-approved Master’s Program (showing conferring
of degree), completion of other pre-approved coursework for licensure
endorsement, or completion of any pre-approved courses taken to be considered
for movement on the Salary Schedule.

12.2 Mileage Teachers who are assigned to more than one building for their
teaching schedule and must travel to complete their daily assignment shall be reimbursed
for each mile traveled at the current IRS rate.

34
 12.3 Extra Duty Assignments No teacher shall be required to hold more than
three (3) regularly scheduled extra-duty assignment positions. If multiple staff members are
interested in Extra-Duty Assignments, administration shall do their best to equally distribute
the positions. These assignments will be made with the consent of the employee, provided,
however, that if no employee consents or volunteers for these extra-duty assignments,
then the administration may assign duties to a qualified teacher or teachers, as defined in
Article I, Section 1.1 of the contract, on a rotating basis from year to year, or
administration may seek persons outside of the FREA to fill Extra-Duty Assignments. The
schedule for extra duty assignments is attached as Appendix B.

12.4 Duty Free Lunch All middle school teachers will be entitled to a 30-minute
duty-free lunch as provided for in the School Code. Teachers in the elementary school
shall be entitled to a 35-minute duty-free lunch.

12.5 Life Insurance All teachers will be provided Board-paid term life insurance.
This insurance does not apply when a teacher is on a long-term leave and, per policy,
coverage diminishes at age 65.

12.6 Insurance Medical/Health insurance premiums shall be paid by the District

for all full-time employees only and in accordance with the Affordable Care Act according
to the following schedule and upon the following terms and conditions. Dental and vision
insurance are employee-paid. For new employees, the provisions of the District's
insurance plan provide for insurance coverage beginning the first of the month following
30 days of employment with the District (October 1st).

12.6.1 Individual and Family Plans The district retains the right, upon
recommendation of the Insurance Committee, to elect a different insurance
carrier or to provide alternative coverage through "HMO," "PPO," or any other
insurance systems available. Beginning with the 2016-2017 insurance plan year,
the District shall pay seventy percent (70%) of any increase in single
insurance coverage over the previous year's established rates. The remaining
30% will be borne by the employee. The district shall pay 70% of the increase
of employee+ spouse, employee + child(ren), and family medical insurance
premiums over the previous year's established rates for each year of the
agreement. The remaining thirty percent (30%) will be borne by the employee.
If an employee resigns during the school year, insurance terminates effective
the last day of the month of the resignation date.

The District and Association agree to negotiate the percentage of costs to

be paid by each party should the annual increase in single or family
medical insurance premiums be greater than fifteen percent (15%) for any
year of this agreement.

12.6.2 Continued SummerInsurance Benefit Teachers who complete the

school year but who will not be returning the following school year due to
resignation, termination, release or a reduction in force, (not due to retirement

35
 as outlined in Section 12.6) shall receive a Board contribution for their July and
August COBRA insurance premiums equal to that provided for continuing
teachers (see section 2.5 of the negotiated agreement). In order to be eligible
for this benefit, the teacher must submit the normal employee share for any
increases in effect for the months of July and August. Teachers who fail to give
timely notice (prior to July 10th) of resignation o r r e t i r e m e n t will be required
to pay the full cost of the monthly insurance premiums for coverage after June
30 of the final year of employment through a one-time payment or through payroll
deduction.

12.6.3 Other Insurance The Board will contribute $1,250 for the 2022-
2023, 2023-2024, and 2024-2025 insurance plan years towards other
insurance for all teachers who do not take medical insurance. To the extent
that the employee aforementioned sums are not used for other insurance, the
appropriate sum shall be paid to the teacher at the end of the year as extra-duty
pay. An affidavit attesting to comparable insurance coverage is required by all
employees electing to decline insurance coverage because of coverage
by another family member or partner.

12.6.4 Selection of Coverage All teachers employed by the District prior to

the last day of school of each successive school year must notify the
Superintendent's office in writing by that date of each successive school year as to
whether they wish to participate in the insurance plan and, if so, whether they wish
to carry "individual coverage" or "family coverage" during that school year. Any
teacher employed after the first day of any school year, but prior to the end of that
school year, must so notify the Superintendent's office within five (5) days of his/her
hiring. Any teacher who, during a school year, wishes to change the type of
insurance he/she carries may do so; provided, however, that any additional
expense resulting from the change be paid by the individual teacher. However, if a
teacher, due to a death in the teacher's immediate family, divorce, or the involuntary
lay-off of a spouse, needs to obtain single or family coverage, such teacher may
enter the appropriate group and participate on the same basis as those already in
the group.

12.6.5 Salary Reduction The Board will take such action as is necessary to
allow for the payment of employee contributions toward health insurance to be
made by salary reductions so that those contributions may be exempt from federal
income tax.

36
12.7 Retirement

12.7.1 –Retirement – Teacher Retirement System

A. A retiree’s insurance ends at the month of the last day of school
(e.g., June 30).

B. It is understood and agreed that no payment will result in any TRS

penalty to the district, and the parties agree that if any such penalty is or
may be assessed, the District may adjust any employee’s salary
retroactively, or take any action it deems necessary, to avoid such penalty.

C. Upon a change in legislation to the ERO if both parties agree, the

parties may renegotiate this section.

12.7.2 Unused Sick Leave Benefit Upon retirement from the teaching profession,
any teacher who does not incur a penalty and who has taught at least 10 years within
Forest Ridge Elementary School District 142, and who has submitted an irrevocable letter
of intent to retire by September 1st and who meets the TRS specifications shall be paid a
sum of $40.00 for each unused accumulated sick leave day not utilized for retirement
purposes with TRS for Pension Credit in each of the years covered by this contract. Payout
on sick leave is limited to 75 total days of sick leave. This additional compensation shall be
paid as severance after retirement and subsequent to the teacher's last regular pay date
but not before August 15th following the actual retirement date.

12.8 Ability to Rescind In the event a teacher who has elected to retire and
experiences unforeseen catastrophic circumstances which cause the teacher to wish
not to retire as planned, the teacher may request that approval of his/her pending
retirement be rescinded by the Board. The Board may, but is not required to, approve
such a request. In the event the Board does so approve, and in the event the teacher
has already begun to receive payments, all retirement monies paid to the teacher
shall be repaid by the teacher no later than June 15th of that school year.

37
 ARTICLE
XIII
NO STRIKE
CLAUSE

13.1 No Strike During the term of this Agreement, in no event shall the
Association nor any of its members, agents or any employee for any reason authorize,
institute, aid or condone or engage in a slowdown, work stoppage, strike or picketing in
any manner which would disrupt the operation of the schools nor shall the Board lock
out employees.

ARTICLE XIV
CONTRACT REOPENER CLAUSE

14.1 Contract Reopener Clause Due to the fact that the Illinois Legislature is
currently working on Pension Reform legislation, reallocation of State funding, and other
legislation that could significantly impact school districts and public school funding, then
upon request of either party, the parties shall meet to negotiate the impact of such legislative
action.

38
 ARTICLE XV
RIGHTS OF THE
BOARD

15.1 General Retention All management rights and functions, except those which
are clearly and expressly abridged by law or this agreement, shall remain vested
exclusively in the Board. It is expressly recognized, merely by way of illustration and not
by way of limitation, that such rights and functions include, but are not limited to:

15.1.1 Full and exclusive control of the management of the District, the
supervision of all operations, the methods, processes, means and personnel by
which any and all work will be performed, the control of property and the
composition, assignment, direction and determination of the size and type of its
working forces;

15.1.2 The right to determine the work to be done and the standards to be met
by employees covered by this agreement;

15.1.3 The right to change or introduce new operations, methods, processes,

means or facilities, and the right to determine whether and to what extent work
shall be performed by employees;

15.1.4 The right to hire, establish and change work schedules, set hours of
work, establish, eliminate or change classifications, assign, transfer, promote,
demote, release and lay off employees; and

15.1.5 The right to determine the qualifications of employees, and to suspend,

discipline, and discharge employees for good cause, and otherwise to
maintain an orderly, effective and efficient operation.

15.2 Association Input The above shall not preclude the Association from input
prior to the Board's execution of its rights and, further, the Association reserves
its right to object to and disagree with any actions the Board takes.

39
29 73228 76479 79669
30 74149 77705 80895
31 APPENDIX A-175069 78933 82122
32 75989 80160 83348
33 2022-2023 TEACHER SALARY SCHEDULE*
76909 81387 84574
34 77829 82614 85800

BA BA+8 BA+24 MA MA+8 MA+24

0 47469 48083 49926 51453 51505 51641
1 48082 48696 50539 52067 52120 52315
2 48695 49309 51152 52682 52735 52989
3 49309 49922 51765 53296 53340 53909
4 49922 50535 52377 53909 53971 54830
5 50535 51148 52990 54523 54768 55750
6 51148 51762 53603 55134 55565 56669
7 51761 52375 54216 55750 56363 57589
8 52374 52988 54828 56363 57160 58509
9 52987 53601 55441 56976 57957 59429
10 53600 54216 56055 57589 58755 60349
11 56667 58203 59552 61270
12 57282 58816 60349 62188
13 57895 59429 61147 63109
14 58508 60043 61944 64029
15 59121 60655 62741 64949
16 59736 61270 63539 65869
17 60348 62188 64336 66789
18 60961 63109 65134 67708
19 61575 64029 65931 68629
20 62187 64949 66728 69549
21 62802 65869 67526 70469
22 63415 66789 68322 71388
23 64028 67708 69119 72309
24 64641 68629 70347 73536
25 69549 71573 74761
26 70469 72799 75989
27 71388 74025 77215
28 72309 75252 78441
29 73228 76479 79669
30 74149 77705 80895
31 75069 78933 82122
32 75989 80160 83348
33 76909 81387 84574
34 77829 82614 85800

41
 APPENDIX A-2
2023-2024 TEACHER SALARY SCHEDULE

BA BA+8 BA+24 MA MA+8 MA+24

0 48731 49369 51286 52872 52925 53006
1 49368 50006 51923 53511 53565 53707
2 50005 50644 52560 54150 54205 54408
3 50643 51281 53198 54789 54845 55109
4 51281 51919 53836 55428 55474 56065
5 51919 52557 54472 56065 56130 57023
6 52557 53194 55110 56704 56959 57980
7 53194 53832 55747 57340 57788 58935
8 53831 54470 56384 57980 58617 59893
9 54469 55108 57021 58617 59446 60850
10 55107 55746 57659 59255 60275 61806
11 58298 59893 61105 62763
12 58934 60531 61934 63720
13 59573 61168 62763 64676
14 60211 61806 63593 65634
15 60848 62445 64421 66590
16 61486 63082 65250 67547
17 62125 63720 66080 68503
18 62762 64676 66909 69461
19 63399 65634 67739 70417
20 64038 66590 68568 71374
21 64675 67547 69397 72331
22 65314 68503 70227 73287
23 65951 69461 71055 74244
24 66589 70417 71884 75202
25 71374 73161 76477
26 72331 74436 77751
27 73287 75711 79028
28 74244 76986 80303
29 75202 78263 81579
30 76157 79538 82856
31 77115 80813 84131
32 78071 82090 85406
33 79029 83366 86682
34 79985 84642 87957

42
 APPENDIX A-3
2024-2025 TEACHER SALARY SCHEDULE

BA BA+8 BA+24 MA MA+8 MA+24

0 49,537 50,194 52,169 53,800 53,854 53,874
1 50,193 50,850 52,825 54,458 54,513 54,596
2 50,849 51,507 53,481 55,116 55,172 55,318
3 51,505 52,163 54,137 55,775 55,831 56,040
4 52,162 52,820 54,794 56,433 56,490 56,762
5 52,820 53,477 55,451 57,091 57,138 57,747
6 53,477 54,134 56,106 57,747 57,814 58,734
7 54,134 54,789 56,763 58,405 58,667 59,719
8 54,789 55,447 57,419 59,060 59,521 60,703
9 55,446 56,104 58,076 59,719 60,376 61,690
10 56,103 56,761 58,732 60,376 61,230 62,675
11 59,388 61,033 62,083 63,660
12 60,046 61,690 62,938 64,646
13 60,702 62,347 63,792 65,632
14 61,360 63,003 64,646 66,616
15 62,017 63,660 65,500 67,603
16 62,674 64,318 66,354 68,588
17 63,331 64,974 67,208 69,573
18 63,989 65,632 68,063 70,558
19 64,644 66,616 68,916 71,545
20 65,301 67,603 69,771 72,529
21 65,959 68,588 70,625 73,515
22 66,615 69,573 71,478 74,501
23 67,273 70,558 72,333 75,486
24 67,930 71,545 73,187 76,471
25 72,529 74,041 77,458
26 73,515 75,356 78,771
27 74,501 76,669 80,084
28 75,486 77,982 81,399
29 76,471 79,296 82,713
30 77,458 80,610 84,026
31 78,442 81,924 85,341
32 79,428 83,238 86,655
33 80,414 84,553 87,969
34 81,399 85,867 89,282

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 APPENDIX B
TEACHER EXTRA DUTY SCHEDULE

ACTIVITY/SUPERVISION 2022-23*
SUPERVISION
$1,427
Administrative Aide (1 per building)
$208
Bus Supervisor (per bus)
$3,062
Lunch Supervisor
MUSIC
$3,873
Band Director (Gr 6-8) (1 per district)
$3,873
Chorus Director (Gr 6-8) (1 per district)

Chorus (Gr 1-5) (1 per building) $1,511

Jazz Band (1 per district) $1,439

Woodwinds (1 per district) $1,865

DRAMA
Co-Directors (Gr 1-5)
(2 per elementary building) $1,436

Play Director (6-8) (1 at Hille) $2,589

Asst. Director (Gr 6-8) (1 at Hille) $1,036

Choreographer (Gr 6-8) (1 at Hille) $1,036

ACADEMIC/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Grade Level Coordinator (Gr K-5) $1,300
(1 per grade level per elementary school)
Department Coordinator (Gr 6-8) $1,300

Mentoring (1 per new teacher) $378

*For each subsequent school year during this Agreement, the stipend amounts will be
increased by the percentage change rounded to the nearest 1/10 of 1% in the United States
Average Consumer Price Index (CPI) for All Urban Consumers for the twelve-month period
ending the previous December 31, but not greater than 5%.

44
 APPENDIX B – 2022-2023* (Continued)

EXTRA-CURRICULAR/MISCELLANEOUS

Grade 8 Trip Moderator (1 at Hille) $864

Catch-Up Club (1 at Hille) $1,164

NJHS (1 at Hille) $1,164

Student Council/Early Act (Gr K-8) $1,164

(1 per building)

Scholastic Bowl (1 per Hille) $598

(1 per elementary guilding
Success Club (1 per elementary)
(1 per building) $1,975

SPORTS

Basketball – Boys 8th Grade $3,445

Basketball – Girls 8th Grade $3,445

Basketball – Boys 7th Grade $3,264

Basketball – Girls 7th Grade $3,264

Cheerleading (1 at Hille) $3,445

Cross Country (1 at Hille) $1,586

Track – Boys (1 at Hille) $1,586

Track – Girls (1 at Hille) $1,586

Volleyball – Boys (1 at Hille) $1,865

Volleyball – Girls (1 at Hille) $1,865

NOTE:
Ø Supervisory positions must be posted on an annual basis. All others may be filled
based upon both the experience and qualifications of the applicant.
Ø Assistants may be necessary upon determining the number of participants and may
be considered with approval of the Superintendent at one-half of the head coach
stipend.
Ø Splitting stipends is permissible with the approval of the Superintendent or designee.

*For each subsequent school year during this Agreement, the stipend amounts will be
increased by the percentage change rounded to the nearest 1/10 of 1% in the United States
Average Consumer Price Index (CPI) for All Urban Consumers for the twelve-month period
ending the previous December 31, but not greater than 5%.

45
 APPENDIX C –
HOURLY COMPENSATION RATES

2022-2023 2023-2024 2024-2025

Internal Sub Rate,
In-service Training, $38.25 $38.50 $38.75
Evening Activities

46