https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sat, 27 Jun 2026 01:11:13 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teachers-how-does-your-contract-situation-work#post-2801565 Fri, 02 Feb 2018 09:38:15 +0000 travellingbee 2801565@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We don’t sign our contract until August. They give incentives for letting the District know early if you are leaving. I think you get a $500 bonus if you tell them that you are leaving your position before March. I’ve never heard of a penalty for backing out of your contract. But I’ve never done it so I’m not sure. As far as overall teachers’ rights though, we are a terrible state. (TX) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teachers-how-does-your-contract-situation-work#post-2801534 Fri, 02 Feb 2018 00:03:54 +0000 Alexandra603 2801534@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We usually get our contracts around June 1st! We have about 3 weeks to sign and return them. If we sign and then get a job in another district, they can refuse to release you from your position until it's filled. And our salaries are on a schedule. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teachers-how-does-your-contract-situation-work#post-2801508 Thu, 01 Feb 2018 21:00:35 +0000 DesertDreams88 2801508@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@crazydoglady: no, stepless means I was hired with at a certain salary level and there are no automatic raises per year. Instead, each year the governing board votes on a % amount raise to give to each employee (historically 0-1.5%), or a one-time bonus. You can increase your salary by earning a masters ($2K more) or a PhD ($6K more). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teachers-how-does-your-contract-situation-work#post-2801478 Thu, 01 Feb 2018 19:27:54 +0000 crazydoglady 2801478@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@DesertDreams88: Wow, I'm in CA and ours is very different. Every year, we sign an intent to return at the end of the school year. You can still leave for a new job after that if you give them enough notice to hire someone new. If you don't, they might not release you from your contract and require you to work, but I have never heard of a monetary penalty. Our bargaining unit negotiates for yearly on specific items and then every 3 (or every five?) years they open up the entire contract to amend any part of the contract. They still haven't reached an agreement in terms of salary so it keeps going back and forth. If we get a raise, we will get "retro pay" that will be added to one of our checks.<br /> I am totally floored that your salary schedule is "stepless!" Does that mean you have already maxed out? I have maxed out for education because I have my Masters and 76 units, but if I had 20 more years of experience, I would be making 20k more. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teachers-how-does-your-contract-situation-work#post-2801471 Thu, 01 Feb 2018 19:11:41 +0000 petitenoisette 2801471@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@DesertDreams88: There is no time period though most people would let my school know by the end of the year if they werent coming back. Though sometimes people get hired elsewhere last minute before the new school year (in particular if they’re moving into administration) and it’s not ideal but people understand. </p> <p>The school does has a specific date they have to inform those without professional status if they won’t be rehired, sometime in the spring I forget exactly when. </p> <p>@Mrs Green Grass: that fee is ridiculous and how is it even legal?? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teachers-how-does-your-contract-situation-work#post-2801469 Thu, 01 Feb 2018 18:59:10 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 2801469@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@DesertDreams88: for leaving pretty much wh never I believe. Definitely no penalty. That’s crazy! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teachers-how-does-your-contract-situation-work#post-2801468 Thu, 01 Feb 2018 18:57:27 +0000 Mrs Green Grass 2801468@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We sign our contract 1 time when we get hired. We have to be notified by mar 15 if we will be excessed or pink slipped for the following year. We are on steps and the scale also has 5 columns for education. So I’m step 13 or 14, column 5...</p> <p>The union negotiates new contracts and as a unit we vote on it. I have lots of issues with my union but I can’t imagine the situation you are in every year! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teachers-how-does-your-contract-situation-work#post-2801456 Thu, 01 Feb 2018 17:54:33 +0000 DesertDreams88 2801456@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@petitenoisette: @Anagram: @Alba4: with contract timeframes like that, how does it work when a teachers wants to leave the district? Is there a certain time period they have to notify their employer by?</p> <p>In terms of probationary vs. non-probationary, for the first three years here you have more meetings with instructional coaches and more observations. After that, less meeting/observations. You are offered a contract unless you are on an improvement plan and haven't shown improvement. That is rare. Each year there are thousands of positions unstaffed by certified teachers, and districts use long-term subs to fill those jobs. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teachers-how-does-your-contract-situation-work#post-2801455 Thu, 01 Feb 2018 17:51:08 +0000 DesertDreams88 2801455@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Alba4: @Anagram: We don't have unions, we have "voluntary educational associations." :-/ About 10% or so of employees are in the association, but they do negotiate for us. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teachers-how-does-your-contract-situation-work#post-2801442 Thu, 01 Feb 2018 15:58:53 +0000 Alba4 2801442@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Do you have a teacher’s Union? I teach in Westchester County just outside of NYC and our union does negotiations for contracts. We usually have 3 year contracts with steps/raises as well as lanes (based on amount of credit ex.30, 45,60,75, 90). NY requires all teachers to have a Master’s degree by 5 years, so we get an additional stipend. The positions in my district are pretty coveted and there is not a lot of movement. We don’t have signing bonuses or anything like that. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teachers-how-does-your-contract-situation-work#post-2801362 Thu, 01 Feb 2018 12:13:59 +0000 Anagram 2801362@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@DesertDreams88: you are in a really crappy state for teacher's rights. Weak unions, right? It seems to be the result of toothless unions.</p> <p>I used to work in Texas and now work in NJ and this stuff is night and day. Texas (on the state level; individual disctricts can make better rules) is kinda like Arizona. NJ is similar to what is described from PPs above. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teachers-how-does-your-contract-situation-work#post-2801357 Thu, 01 Feb 2018 12:09:50 +0000 katsupgirl 2801357@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm in NYC and it works similarly to what @petitenoisette: described with respect to steps, length of contract and the probationary period. I think our current contract ends this year and it included retro pay. The raises happen twice a year and are automatic based on your salary step. </p> <p>We also have an open market transfer period which runs April-August. During that time you can apply for jobs and don't need your principal's approval to release you to the other school. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teachers-how-does-your-contract-situation-work#post-2801313 Thu, 01 Feb 2018 11:12:10 +0000 petitenoisette 2801313@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We don't have contracts like this at all in my district in MA. The only time it's up in the air regarding your next year's employment is the first 3 years before you get professional status. Then the only realistic way I could lose my job would be due to budget cuts and I would be informed if my job were in danger (this did happen to me once during the recession - the jobs that were potentially going to be cut were based departmentally and then by the "lottery" number you are assigned when you are hired, just based on hire date). </p> <p>We have a 3 year contract that determines salary. Rarely do they complete contract negotiations in time so we often begin the new contract cycle without a contract in place. We will then get back-pay once we finalize. Last contract they made us vote on the pay scale before in the Spring separately from the rest of the contract bc they weren't done negotiating that until the Fall. That didn't sit well with me and I hope that was a one time thing. </p> <p>We have 12 steps (which I have maxed out) so now my only raises are the overall percent raise and then if I move to a higher credits (we have Masters, masters + 15, 30, 45 and 60). I'm almost maxed out there with my MA+45. </p> <p>Compared to other states, I have it really really good. Compared to other towns in MA, we have it pretty good but not commensurate I think with the image the town projects / their real ability to properly fund the schools. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/teachers-how-does-your-contract-situation-work#post-2801270 Thu, 01 Feb 2018 10:04:54 +0000 DesertDreams88 2801270@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've been teaching in the same district for 8 years. My husband has worked in two other districts during the same period of time. I'm just wondering what it's like in other places in the country and if the "process" works well or not.</p> <p>Here's been our experience:<br /> - We are issued yearly contracts usually in late March or early April. The dates seem to move up and up every year- last year March 15, this year, it's today, Feb 1! Districts don't post jobs/openings or do interviews usually until April, so you're put in a position where you have to turn down your contract in March, in hopes of finding a new, better job in April.</p> <p>- If you sign your contract and then back out on it, you're forced to pay of a fee of $1000-$2000 (depending on the district) (on a salary of $35K-$40K) and the district can notify the state and it can interfere with your certification. In my district, the fee is the same regardless if you cancel your contract 1 day after signing or halfway through the year.</p> <p>- They issue contracts with the last year's salary, because the state Legislature doesn't approve funding formulas until late April or May. Raises are then issues "after-the-fact" with no official notification or new contracts issued, we just get an email saying that the governing board has approved __% raise. The timing of this often means we are sent an email in Feb/March with a hypothetical raise, but we have to sign the contract without the raise, and then we just have to hope that one gets issued in the summer. If it doesn't, we have no recourse, since they blame it on the State Legislature. To be more specific, this year we were told there would be a $500 signing bonus, a 1% raise from the state, and a 1% raise from the district..... but all of this is contingent on state and district votes after contracts are signed. Usually the raise is 0-1% total. Funding in AZ is a nightmare since the recession.</p> <p>- Almost all districts are on a stepless salary scale. You can Google what that is if you don't know. </p> <p>So, overall, my questions are:<br /> When are your contracts issued? How long do you have to sign them? How does that timing line up with hiring in other districts? How long are the length of your contracts? Are there penalties if you cancel before the school year starts? Are raises and benefits awarded before or after contracts are issued?'</p> <p>I'm not hugely bothered by my situation since I'm used to it and know it's the same across Phoenix, BUT, getting contracts 6 weeks early was a pretty big surprise, and last year the proposed raise got decreased and turned into a one-time bonus by the legislature afterwards so that was disheartening. </p>