We’ve pulled together some of the most important special ed contract articles that are especially important for our special education members to be aware of at the beginning of the year. Remember, our contract won important protections for you, but they are meaningless without enforcement.
Please use this checklist to help enforce special education contract articles.
- 21-18. Case Load Development: School principals, or their designees, or Program Manager shall consult with Special Education teachers on caseload development.
- Timeframe: As soon as possible.
- SpEd team meets during week 0 to give input on caseloads.
- 21-15. Training and Resource Materials: Principals shall inform special education teachers at the start of the school year the amount of funds that have been allocated in the school budget for special education resources and materials and shall work with the special education teachers to identify which resources and materials will be purchased to best serve the needs of the students.
- Timeframe: As soon as possible.
- SpEd team makes a formal request to the principal about funds available.
- 21-15. Training and Resource Materials: The BOARD shall ensure that special education teachers have access to training and resource materials regarding the preparation of Individualized Education Programs. Such materials may be available online. At the beginning of each school year, the BOARD shall advise all special education teachers of the training and resource materials available and shall ensure such teachers are informed of how to access such materials.
- Timeframe: As soon as possible.
- SpEd team makes a formal request to the principal about training and resources available.
- CTU will inquire with ODLSS about training and resources available.
- 21-20.5. Common Preparation Periods: Where administratively possible, Principals shall make every effort to program special and general education teachers so that co-teachers have common preparation periods. Principals may also use Principal-directed preparation periods to provide for preparation time for co-teachers.
- Timeframe: As soon as possible.
- If common preps are not built into the schedule SpEd team advocates for the use of Principal-directed preparation periods to provide for preparation time for co-teachers.
- Set up a calendar of prep times to use throughout the school year.
- 27-10. Class Coverage List: At the beginning of each school year, and as necessary thereafter, the school principal or his/her designee, in consultation with the PPC, shall create and post an ordered list of emergency class coverage for classroom and special program teachers, under which they shall be assigned coverage on a rotating basis.
- 27-3. Using Appointed Teachers or TATs to Provide Class Coverage: With special education teachers the very last to be called, after available non-teaching certificated personnel have been assigned.
- 45-4.7. Workload Reduction Funding: The BOARD agrees to commit $2,500,000 per year during this Agreement to fund costs associated with Workload Reduction as jointly recommended by the Special Education Committee.
- Timeframe: Possibly as soon as October
- Collaborate between special education staff and their school’s Professional Problems Committee (PPC) to develop a plan on how to best use the funds and decrease the workload of special education staff.
- If the group cannot reach a decision, the special education teachers, itinerant teachers, case managers, and clinicians should vote between the proposed options.
Start to document any hours before or after school when Workload Reduction tasks are being completed. - Reference the Workload Reduction Fund Memo (From SY 22-23 but the process will be the same).
- When funds become available and if your principal refuses to meet to create a plan or denies these funds, please contact your CTU reps.
