The district may grant
sabbatical leaves of absence for study and/or research upon application by
certificated staff, the recommendation of the superintendent, and approval by
the board, provided such a leave shall serve the best interest of the district
and is within the fiscal parameters of the district. The district shall declare
its intention by February l. Certificated staff shall be eligible for
sabbatical leave for study or research. Sabbatical leave shall be granted
according to the following stipulations:
A. Years to Qualify: Staff shall have
served five or more continuous years in the district.
B. Limit on Number: Sabbatical leaves may
be granted up to one full year to the number of certificated staff subject to determination
by the board upon the recommendation of the superintendent.
C. Application Deadline: Applications for
sabbatical leave shall be filed with the superintendent not later than February
28 prior to the school year for which it
is requested. The board may, at its discretion, extend this deadline.
D. Proposed Plan to Accompany Application:
A proposed plan of study or research to which the time spent on leave shall be
devoted must accompany the application.
E. Criteria for Evaluation of Applications:
Applications shall be evaluated on the following three criteria:
1. The
merit of the proposed plan of study or research and its relationship of service
to the district in terms of the individual's professional background.
2. Proportionate
representation of the different levels of district schools, such as elementary,
middle school, senior high school, and administration.
3. Seniority
shall be considered.
F. Final Approval by Board: Applications approved
by the superintendent shall be presented to the board for final approval. Once
approved by the board, any change of sabbatical plan shall be presented in
writing and approved by the superintendent in advance of the leave.
G. Two-Year Studies: An applicant who is
taking part in a two-year study may, upon evaluation of his/her program,
request one year of sabbatical leave and a preliminary commitment, subject to
district staffing needs, for an additional one-year leave of absence.
H. Scholarship for Study or Research:
Should the staff member who is granted a sabbatical leave receive a scholarship
during the same year as the sabbatical, the total compensation from the two
sources shall not exceed the salary he/she would receive if under regular contract
with the district for full-time service.
I.
Stipend
for Study or Research: A staff member on sabbatical leave for study or
research shall receive a stipend of a portion of his/her regularly contracted salary unless
this sum is reduced as a result of section H above. The stipend shall be paid
in ten or twelve payments at the option of the applicant. All regular salary
deductions shall be made.
J. Stipend Considered a Loan: The stipend
received is a loan. Should a staff member on sabbatical leave fail to return to
the district, he/she shall then repay the loan within at the interest rate
provided in RCW 19.52.010.
K. Cancellation of Loan: The stipend shall
be canceled in the following manner upon the return of the staff member to the
district:
1. One-half
of the total loan shall be canceled after the first year's service in the
district;
2. The
remaining one-half of the loan shall be canceled after the second year's
service in the district.
L. Maintenance of Tenure and Salary Standing:
A staff member granted sabbatical leave shall maintain standing in tenure and
salary.
M. Limit on Other Employment: A staff
member on sabbatical leave for study or research shall not seek employment for
compensation during the period of sabbatical other than to supplement
sabbatical leave income in carrying out the approved program. Such employment
must be approved by the superintendent and the board and, when combined with
the sabbatical stipend, shall not exceed the salary he/she would receive if
under regular contract with the district for full-time service.
N. Report Required Upon Return: Within 30
days of a staff member's return from sabbatical leave, the staff member shall
file with the superintendent a report giving the substance of the program of
study or research in which he/she is engaged, indicating the value which he/she
believes grew out of the experience. If the staff member was employed for
compensation during the program, full details of the employment and income
should be included in this report.
O. Leaves
to Accept Scholarships: Staff may at any time request leave to accept
scholarships of up to one full year which would not involve the district in any
financial obligations, in which case all other provisions of the sabbatical
leave policy except the percentage limitation would apply.
P. Return to Original Position: An effort
shall be made to replace a certificated staff member returning from sabbatical
leave in his/her original position or in an appropriate comparable position.
The district may grant leaves
of absence for specific periods of time for up to one school year upon
application by a staff member, the recommendation of the superintendent and the
approval of the board. Such leaves shall be without pay or fringe benefits and,
with the approval of the board, may be extended for one additional school year.
During the leave the staff member may pay the district's share of any insurance
benefits program in order to maintain those benefits. The needs of students and
the district program shall receive primary consideration. Leaves of absence
shall be granted only when they shall not have an undesirable impact upon the
educational program or business operations.
A staff member shall be
entitled to return to a position in the district at the end of the leave of absence
subject to the availability of a position for which the staff member is qualified.
The staff member granted a leave of absence shall inform the board by April l
as to his/ her intentions to assume a position in the district for the ensuing
school year. If said notification is not received, the individual's employment
rights with the district shall be terminated.
Staff on leave of absence
shall not earn any salary schedule experience credit or any sick leave credit
or benefits during the leave of absence.
The district may grant
leaves, subject to the recommendation of the superintendent and approval by the
board, to staff for the purpose of attending meetings or conferences that are to
be of value to the staff member's performance. (Meetings and conferences
wherein bargaining unit activities are conducted are excluded.) Such leaves may
be granted without pay and with or without travel expense reimbursement.
Cross Reference: Board Policy 5021 Applicability of
Personnel Policies
Adoption Date: JUNE 25, 2003