Personnel and Employee Relations AP 493: ATA Staffing Procedures

Background

The Division acknowledges that changes in staff assignments and worksites foster professional growth and can lead to strengthening our schools. Movement may be initiated by the staff themselves, by constraints on finances or physical facilities, by administrators, Division leadership, or by the HR department. It is important for all parties to understand the process and how to engage with it.
Fort McMurray Public Schools hiring practices are based on a commitment to equal opportunity and diversity in all aspects of staffing. All staffing decisions will be made based on merit, qualifications, and suitability for the position, without discrimination based on factors such as race, gender, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. 

Guiding Principles

1. The staffing process will be facilitated in a manner that helps to place all staff on continuous contracts first.
2. Staff strengths are considered to ensure placements result in the optimal alignment between staff and student/school needs.
3. Staff will be given an opportunity early in the process to request a transfer. Where appropriate, staff will be transferred to requested schools if a position is available. The school principal will be responsible for their specific assignment.
   1. Except in exceptional circumstances, or specialty positions, staff with less than 3 years of experience with the Division will not be considered for staff initiated transfers.
   2. Staff initiated transfers are typically carried out according to the timeline outlined in The Staffing Process. Transfers during the year are not a part of the process and occur only in exceptional circumstances.
   3. All transfer requests and personal leaves will be treated with the utmost confidentiality and shared only on a need-to-know basis.
4. School administrators will be given an opportunity to recommend a staff member for a transfer (Administrator Initiated Transfer), after having personally stated their intent to the individual.
5. Superintendent, or designate, will, where necessary, initiate the transfer of staff (Division Office initiated transfer).
6. Schools will staff to their budgeted enrolment. Any variance from that must be approved by the Superintendent or designate.
7. After placing all teachers on continuous contracts, including those returning from leaves of absence, teachers on probationary contracts will be considered for placement.
   1. When it is clear that there is a shortage of continuous contract teachers in a specialty area or program (e.g. Physics 30; French Immersion), teachers on probationary contracts, or external candidates, may be considered for positions prior to all continuous contract teachers being placed. This may occur at any time in the staffing process.
8. All principals will be aware of the training and experience of all staff on probationary and temporary contracts who are available for positions in the next school year.
9. If normal attrition is not sufficient to accommodate any required staff reduction, AP 426, Reduction in Professional Staff Work Force will be implemented.
   
   The Staffing Process
   
10. Staff Initiated Requests
    1. Staff intent forms are sent to all staff via email in January and then in April, requesting information on their intentions and requests for the next school year. Staff on leave will be emailed their forms. The requests for staff initiated transfers will be gathered through this process. When the surveys are completed, human resources compiles and distributes the information for their school to principals for use in the staff placement process. This is a confidential document and the information will not be shared with staff or the public.
    2. The human resources department will compile a list of teachers on temporary and probationary contracts, identifying their training and experience.
       
       
11. Confirmation of Teacher Requests/Intentions with School Administrators
    1. In late April, the Superintendent or designate meets with school principals to confirm and share teacher requests, anticipated openings, and teachers returning from leaves, as well as the available staff on temporary and probationary contracts.
    2. The Superintendent or designate, and school-based administrators, will consider staff initiated requests for transfer at this time.
       
       
12. Staff Initiated Transfers (continuous contracts)
    

    Certificated staff transfers will be considered in the following stages:

    Placement Transfer Stage (late-April to mid-May)

    Teachers returning from leave will be placed before transfers are considered. Transfer requests will be considered based on either openings, or matching with other staff initiated transfer requests, or administrator initiated transfers. Prior to a staff initiated transfer being made, the staff member will be contacted. Transfers are to a school not a position. Teachers who have indicated that they want a transfer to another school will be considered in this placement transfer stage. Transfers under this provision are not appealable as they are staff initiated or placements from leaves. (See AP 408)

    Placement Stage (mid-May until June 10)

    When positions are open and posted, all continuous teachers may apply and, if they meet the desired criteria, have the necessary qualifications for the posting,and more than 3 years of service with the Division will be considered for the position.

     

    Competition Stage (mid-May until June 10)?

    Teachers under contract (continuous, probationary, temporary) may apply and will be selected if they are considered the best candidates. They would then be transferred or placed. Positions may be posted on the Fort McMurray Public Schools website.

    Administrator Initiated Transfers as Per AP426 (Reduction in Professional Staff Workforce)

    
    
    1. Principals will submit after their budget meetings, the names of any staff they declare are surplus, but only after they have personally informed the staff member of their need to do so.
    2. The Superintendent of Schools, or designate, will consider an appropriate  placement based on education, skills, and experience and, should a transfer result, the employee will be informed of their right to appeal their assignment to the Board of Trustees.
13. Division Office Initiated Transfers
    1. The Superintendent of Schools or designate, based on the Education Act, Section 212, may transfer teachers. Transfers would be based on student, program and division needs.
    2. As per Section 212 of the Education Act, any transfer may be appealed to the Board.
14. Professional Staff Reduction - AP426 (Reduction in Professional Staff Workforce)
    1. When the division is required to reduce staff, the AP426, Reduction in Professional Staff Workforce, will be followed.
15. Administrators’ Meeting #1 (first week of May). The Superintendent or designate will meet with school principals, collectively, to:
    1. Review teachers returning from leaves and transfer requests;
    2. Share enrolment projections;
    3. Review probationary positions;
    4. Identify open positions;
    5. Identify positions (specialty areas such as French Immersion, Math) open to probationary teachers or external applicants;
    6. Approve transfer requests, where possible; and
    7. Place teachers returning from leave where openings exist.
16. Administrators’ Meeting #2 (mid-May). The Superintendent or designate will meet with school principals, collectively, to:
    1. Update projected enrolments;
    2. Update open positions, finalizing the transfer placement stage;
    3. Finalize placing teachers returning from leave, where openings exist; and
    4. Identify positions (specialty areas) open to probationary teachers or external applicants.
17. Administrators’ Meeting #3 As Needed (after resignation deadline of May 31). The Superintendent or designate will meet with school principals, collectively, to:
    1. Finalize openings via resignations;
    2. Finalize placement of any teachers on continuous contract who had not previously been placed;
    3. Place teachers who have been on part-time probationary contracts for two (2) years.
18. Fill Open Positions (June) - Fill positions with the best available candidate for the position. The following may be considered:
    1. Continuous contract teachers;
    2. Probationary/temporary contract teachers; and
    3. External applicants.
19. Special Circumstances
    1. In certain circumstances teachers who are at the end of their career may be considered by division administrators for a special contractual arrangement whereby they continue to be employed, on a part-time basis for one year, after resigning from their full-time contracts.
    2. Only in these special situations, that are approved by the Superintendent or designate, will the temporary part time positions not be considered as open positions and, as such, will not be posted/advertised.
    3. The deadline for teachers who would like to be considered for a special temporary contractual arrangement whereby they continue to be employed, on a part-time basis, after resigning from their full-time contract is March 1st. The employee must make a request, in writing to the superintendent or designate, on or before March 1st of the current school year.
    4. In deciding whether such special contractual arrangements will be offered for the next school year, the following factors will be taken into consideration by division administration:
       1. Program needs;
       2. Division staffing needs; and
       3. The division’s ability to cover the related additional costs (i.e. benefits).
    5. Should division administration decide to proceed, special contractual positions will be offered for the school year and, as was the case in the past, the positions will- not be considered as open positions and will not be posted/advertised.
20. Personal Leaves

As per Administration Procedure 408, the Board of Trustees authorizes the Superintendent of Schools, or designate, to grant extended leaves for the purposes of personal and professional growth and development, secondment and exchange programs.

If you have any questions, please contact the Assistant Superintendent Human Resources by email or at Division office at 780-799-7900.