401.5 - Licensed Personnel Professional Development

To advance student achievement, the school board encourages staff learning and professional development as part of a professional learning community. Therefore, the school board expects licensed personnel to participate in staff development and professional growth activities to maintain, develop, and extend their skills. 

Staff development activities include workshops or courses in which the focus of the learning aligns with the educational goals of the district’s Strategic Plan, comprehensive school improvement goals, building improvement goals, and instructional goals of the district. Staff development activities which occur during contract time are not eligible for advancement on the salary schedule.

Professional growth activities are structured learning workshops or courses that advance the skills, knowledge, or practice of the employee in which participation is solely the employee’s choice. Professional growth attained through coursework may lead to an advanced degree. Professional growth workshops or courses eligible for salary advancement must occur outside the contract day.

If the employee is compensated by the district for expenses [including tuition or registration] related to participation in a staff development or professional growth workshop or course, that workshop or course is not eligible for advancement on the salary schedule.

For all professional development programs the district requires employees to take, the district will provide to the employee notice indicating the section of the law or rules adopted by the State Board of Education or Board of Educational Examiners that the district determines requires the employee to participate in the professional development program.

Requests for attendance or participation in staff development or professional growth workshops or courses during the contract day, other than those programs sponsored by the district, will be made to the superintendent [or designee] in writing. Approval by the superintendent [or designee] must be obtained prior to attendance in the selected workshop or course. 

The superintendent [or designee] will have the discretion to allow or disallow the licensed personnel to attend or participate in the requested event. When making this determination, the superintendent [or designee] will consider the value of the program for the licensed employee and the district; the effect of the licensed employee's absence on the education program, district operations, and the district's budget; as well as other factors deemed relevant in the judgment of the superintendent [or designee].