NSEA TIP OF THE WEEK
WHAT ARE THESE 18 INSTRUCTIONAL QUALITY HOURS ABOUT?
In our new Contract, we agreed to record 18 hours of IQ work as part of a compromise that maintained the 1.9% of our pay that the State cut funding for. The Administration/School Board agreed to fund it with local levy funds, and add it to our Responsibility Factor stipend. Additionally, we agreed to work one SIP Day on April 13—similarly added. The total 25.5 hours equals 1.9% of our base pay.
It is more work for the same pay—not something we’d normally agree to, but a deal NSEA members voted 95% to ratify in these hard times. Those who don’t wish to work or record these hours don’t have to. If not included in your Cert Time Report you turn into Payroll by June 30, the pay will simply be deducted from your August check. (The 18 hours and the April 13 SIP Day are pro-rated for part time staff. All other kinds of hours/days recorded on the annual Cert Time Report are not pro-rated.)
The 18 IQ hours represent, for most NSEA members, simply recording work we already do--but has not been customarily paid. It must be outside the regular work day or year. And it cannot be our regular daily work (i.e., lesson planning). And the activities must move district goals, performance measures, initiatives (including joint NSEA/District ones), or curriculum adoptions forward. Customarily paid activities must continue to be paid—not offering IQ hours instead of actual extra pay. (For example, training to implement new curricula, or any required additional training/work must continue to be paid. If any such paid work is instead offered as IQ hours, please contact us immediately, and we will correct this error.)
That leaves lots of unpaid work we already do as eligible for recording as IQ hours. The form on pages 187 and 188 of our Contract includes samples. There is also an updated list of activities, workshops, books, articles, etc that may be included as IQ hours in the Teacher Toolbox on the NSD Teacher Leadership website. The form requires that you list the activities you plan, and discuss it in advance with your Principal/Supervisor.
Some of the most common kinds of unpaid extra hours many of us are already doing that will qualify as IQ hours are: “Committee and/or department/grade level work beyond the designated meeting times such as….department/grade level meetings; Curricular work organized by school leadership teams; Professional learning community meetings outside the work day; Job-alike collaborative work for the visual and performing arts, CTE, ELL, SLPs, OT/PTs and librarians; Grade level/content area teams meeting in conjunction with librarians, counselors, and/or Special Education teachers; Education classes, trainings and/or workshops; and Professional book studies aligned with district instructional goals.” There are many more listed.
There is a rumor that the work must be done with others, on District property. This is not accurate. It must meet the underlined criteria above.
The best overall explanation of ALL of the extra days/hours is the 2 page Certificated Time Report, which is on pages 189 and 190. To see the IQ hours worksheet, click here. Reminder: Our full contract is available online (click here). If you have questions, please contact your NSEA Building Rep, or the NSEA office.
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