ARTICLE 21

ASSOCIATION AND BOARD RIGHTS

A. The principal of each school shall meet regularly with the Association Building Committee to discuss school operations and questions relating to the implementation of this Agreement. These meetings shall be held during non-instructional time and, if held during the regular school day, shall not result in loss of pay to the employees. Any meeting of the Association Building Committee shall not take place during a teaching period of an employee of the committee except in the event of an emergency. The Association Building Committee shall consist of two (2) Unit 1 members and one (1) member from Unit 1 or any other STA bargaining unit, selected or appointed in a manner to be determined by the Association, to represent the Association in that school. Proposed changes in existing building policies and procedures, staffing ratios, and new policies and procedures for each school shall be appropriate subjects for discussion at such meetings. Any changes in such policies and procedures shall be consistent with the terms of this Agreement.

B. The President of the Association shall have no teaching or extracurricular assignments but shall retain the option to teach a minimum of one (1) instructional period. When it is necessary for the President of the Association or a designee to engage in Association activities directly related to Association representation of members which cannot be performed other than during school hours, the President or a designated representative may, after consultation with the Superintendent or a designee, be allowed to visit schools to investigate working conditions, teacher complaints, problems, or for other purposes relating to Association affairs. Upon the arrival of the President or a representative at any school, the principal, or a representative, shall confer with the President in order to facilitate the purpose of the visit. Whenever possible, the President shall give advance notice of a visit, and, on arrival, report his/her presence to the office.

C. Whenever representatives of the Association are mutually scheduled by both parties to participate during working hours in conferences, meetings, or collective bargaining negotiations, they shall suffer no loss of pay. If negotiating sessions between the District and the Association are scheduled during a school day by mutual agreement, representatives of the Association, in number not to exceed eight (8), will be relieved from all regular duties without loss of pay and as necessary in order to permit their participation in such meetings. A Faculty Representative, member of the Grievance Committee, or other representative designated by an aggrieved teacher to attend a grievance hearing during a school day will, upon timely notification to the Superintendent, be released without loss of pay and as necessary in order to permit participation in a formal grievance proceeding. A substitute teacher will be assigned, when possible and necessary, to cover all duties of said teacher. The aggrieved teacher, and any other teacher appearing in a grievance hearing as a witness will be accorded the same right.

D. The Association shall be given an opportunity at building faculty meetings to present reports and announcements, but no teacher shall be required to remain for that portion of the meeting.

E. The Association shall be given an opportunity to schedule a one-hour meeting for all new employees during the orientation program. No other activities shall be scheduled during this period. The Association shall be provided with a mailing list of newly hired employees as soon as possible, as well as a supplemental monthly list upon request. The District and the Association will jointly plan a new teacher orientation to be held prior to the beginning of the school year.

F. When new projects or proposals are developed, they should conform with provisions of the existing Agreement. Where required for purposes of obtaining project approval by State or Federal agencies to draft a proposal which has provisions inconsistent with the existing Agreement, the proposal shall be submitted to the Association for review prior to final submission for funding. Any member of the Unit employed to work under the terms of such a proposal shall execute a Memorandum of Understanding, which shall be provided by the Board and clearly set forth exceptions to the Agreement under which they will be working, prior to his or her official appointment to the position in question. The Association shall be provided with copies of all such Memoranda, when executed.

G. Pursuant to the applicable provisions of the New York State Education Law, any regularly assigned teacher who desires to terminate his/her services shall file a written notice of termination with the Superintendent at least thirty (30) days prior to the date of such termination of services.

H. Continued employment by the District implies good physical and mental health. The Board reserves the right to require personnel to present satisfactory reports on the status of their mental and physical health, pursuant to ß 913, or any other applicable provision, of the Education Law.

I. The Superintendent will establish/continue the following Task Forces: the High School Task Force; the Middle School Task Force; the Elementary School Task Force and the Curriculum Task Force to review and address issues relating to education in these areas. The Task Forces shall be structured in the following manner:

• Unit members will be paid hourly (Extension of Service Rate) for meetings and such other services as agreed upon.

• There will be a specified scope of work and timelines, including maximum number of hours established by the Superintendent.

Decision-making will use a consensus model. In the event that the group fails to reach consensus the Superintendent or his/her designee and the union president will hear the issues. If they fail to reach an agreement, the Superintendent shall make the final decision.