iconNorton Professional Development Committee
By-Laws

arrowARTICLE I. Name, scope and Number of Committee

Section 1.
The Norton Professional Development Committee is hereby established as the name of the entity required by Senate Bill 230.


arrowARTICLE II. Aims and Purpose

Section 1.
The purpose of the Norton Professional Development Committee is to review course work and other professional development completed by educators within the district for renewal of certificates or licenses.

In the discharge of its duties, the committee will:

  1. Foster the norm of continuous improvement.
  2. Promote alignment of professional growth with students, building, and district needs, and individual goals.
  3. Emphasize increased student learning and achievement as a professional development priority.
  4. Guide the development of Individual Professional Development Plans.
  5. Support the inquiry into and study of teaching and learning.
  6. Validate application/use of learning gained through professional development rather than merely attendance, time spent, and completion of require work.

arrowARTICLE III Membership, Qualifications, Training, and Compensation

TERM OF OFFICE
After the initial appointment, the term of office for members serving on the NPDC shall be three (3) years. One Initial NCTA appointee shall be for two (2) years, a second initial NCTA appointee shall be for three (3) years, and a third initial NCTA appointee shall be for four (4) years. One initial Superintendent appointee shall be for two (2) years and the other for three (3) years.

COMMITTEE COMPOSITIONS

  1. The NPDC shall be comprised of five (5) members each as follows:
    • Three representatives selected by the Association President
    • One principal or assistant principal selected by the Superintendent
    • One other District employee selected by the Superintendent
  2. It is the preference of the parties that one (1) representative appointed by the Association be from the high school, one (1) from the middle school, and one (I) from an elementary. NCTA will take this preference into consideration when making the appointments.
  3. In the event of a vacancy before the expiration of term, the committee member shall be replaced in accordance with this section to fill the remainder of the vacated term.
  4. When an Administrator’s Professional Development Plan is being considered, at the request of the Administrator, the Superintendent shall appoint an additional Administrator to the NPDC and one representative appointed by NCTA will not participate in the process.

MEETINGS AND COMPENSATION

  1. Members of the NPDC shall be compensated annually at four percent (4%) of the BA-O.
  2. The NPDC shall meet as often as the members deem necessary to complete their work. Meetings will be held outside the normal student day.
  3. No later than September 15th of each year, the Committee shall post in each building their meeting schedule. Additional meetings may be scheduled as necessary.

TRAINING
NPDC members shall be afforded the opportunity to attend training related to the performance of their duties as members of the NPDC, subject to the Superintendent’s approval. When such training occurs during the regular work day, release time shall be granted. Training shall be subject to reimbursement under Section 11.04 of the Contract. The NPDC may determine whether committee training constitutes appropriate “equivalent activities” for purposes of the committee members won Individual Development Plans.

QUORUM REQUIREMENTS
A quorum consisting of not less than four (4) members shall be required to make decisions. Decisions shall be made by a majority vote of the committee members present and voting.


arrowARTICLE IV. Roles and Terms of Office

The Norton Professional Development Committee shall consist of the following roles and corresponding terms of office:

PRESIDENT
The President shall be elected by a majority vote, conducted via written ballot, of the committee members themselves. Anyone interested in serving as a Chair may self-nominate. Co-Chairs are an option. Chair(s) shall be elected for a two-year term. A term shall run from September to September, beginning September 1, 1998.

SECRETARY
The Secretary shall be elected by a majority vote, conducted via ballot, of the committee members themselves. Anyone interested in serving as Secretary may self-nominate. The Secretary is elected for a two-year term. A term shall run from September to September, beginning September 1, 1998. The Secretary shall act as the President if the President is absent.

MEMBER
The remaining members of the committee shall serve staggered three-year terms. A term shall go from September to September with no more than half of the remaining members new to the committee at any one time. Committee members maybe elected to serve no more than 2 (two) consecutive terms. Committee members who have served two consecutive terms may be re-elected to the NPDC after having been off the committee for one full three year term. The initial representatives will serve for the following terms:

Terms:

1 year

2 years

3 years

4 years

Administration

 

 

1

 

Administration

 

1

 

 

Teacher

 

 

 

1

Teacher

 

 

1

 

Teacher

 

1

 

 


arrowARTICLE V. Duties

The duties of the president, secretary, and other committee member shall as follows:

Section1.
The President shall:

  1. Preside at Norton Professional Development Committee meetings.
  2. Call meetings and set agendas in collaboration with the membership.
  3. Ensure adherence to the Individual Professional Development Plan review processes and procedures.
  4. Serve as appeals process contact and liaison.

Section 2.
The Secretary shall:

  1. Keep accurate minutes of all Norton Professional Development Committee meetings
  2. Send minutes and agendas to NPDC members at least a day in advance of each meeting
  3. Be responsible for all necessary correspondence
  4. Keep records up to date and keep a mailing list of all members including names, addresses, and the telephone numbers
  5. Maintain a notebook or easily accessible electronic record of all committee activities that is accessible by committee members
  6. Submit periodic reports as required by the Ohio Department of Education

Section 3.
The remaining committee members will:

  1. Serve as staff information contact person
  2. Serve as a reviewer of district education professional development plans for certificate/license renewal

arrowARTICLE VI. Meetings

Section 1.
Norton Professional Development Committee members shall determine frequency, time, and place of meeting(s) within the following parameters:

The number of meetings in any one year will meet the needs of members for licensure renewals.


arrowARTICLE VII. Individual Professional Development Plan Review

Section 1.
Individual Professional Development Plans IPDP may be submitted (following the required format) for review at required times. Notification of the committee action on the IPDPs shall occur within thirty (30) working clays (for regular classroom teachers). A checklist/rubric will be used to review the plan for approval. IPDPs submitted will be reviewed by not fewer than three members of the IPDC and must be approved by a majority (4 of the 5 committee members).

Educators up for renewal shall notify the committee and be provided with a copy of the guidelines and criteria prior to the development and submission of their IPDP for review.

If the IPDP is rejected, the individual will be given a copy of the guidelines/criteria with the reasons for rejection clearly marked. A revised plan and/or supporting documentation may be submitted within twenty calendar days of the initial rejection notice. If the plan is still not approved, the submitter may contact the chair(s) for appeals process information or continue to revise and re-submit as necessary.


arrowARTICLE VIII Appeals Process

  1. Decisions of the NPDC may be appealed within thirty (30) calendar days of the receipt of the decision. Any educator who disagrees with a decision of the NPDC shall first seek reconsideration from the NPDC under rules established by the Committee. The educator may amend the initial submission and submit additional documentation/rationalization to the NPDC.
  2. The decision on reconsideration may be appealed within twenty (20) calendar days of the reconsideration decision. The decision will be appealed to the Appeals Committee which shall be comprised of three members—one (1) appointed by the educator, one(1) by the NPDC chairperson and one (1) by the Superintendent. The appeal will be granted if two (2) or more members of Appeals Committee vote to grant the appeal.

arrowARTICLE IX. Reciprocity

The Norton Professional Development Committee shall accept outside district-approved IPDPs for any educator hired by the Norton City School District Board of Education from another district as fulfilling all necessary requirements of thà Norton City School District renewal process. Hours already accumulated in the district of previous employment shall be honored. Remaining hours shall be accrued by attending NPDC approved sessions. Exceptional cases are subject to committee review. The educator’s IPDP will be requested as part of the application submission process and will be reviewed and marked as “acceptable” or scheduling for an interview.


arrowARTICLE IX. Amending the By-Laws

Section 1.
The By-Laws Subcommittee of the NPDC, shall comply with Senate Bill 230.

Section 2.
Amendments shall be voted on via a roll call vote. A super majority (4 of 5) of the members present and voting will prevail.

Section 3.
The Norton City School District Board of Education and NPDC committee will receive copies of ratified amendments for final approval.


arrowREVIEWED AND APPROVED BY;

Norton City Schools Teachers Association (NCTA) President

Norton City Schools Board of Education Attorney

Norton City Schools Board of Education President

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Revised November 11, 1999