NO MORE CEUs
By Andrea Yukna
The new ruling from Public Act 12-116, An Act Concerning Educational Reform, about CEU’s goes into effect as of July 1, 2013. CEU’s are no longer needed as part of the continuation of the professional educator certificate. As of this date, the Newington Public Schools will no longer be accepting CEU certificates for participation in professional learning.
The NTA has modified their agreement with the Board of Education to resolve this change in policy. Our contract allows us presently to advance on the salary scale using 6 CEUs per fifteen credits. Since CEUs will no longer be in existence, teachers may now apply for salary advancement through “professional growth equivalent experiences”. The new language for the contract reads as follows:
(d) In addition to the course work described in (c) above, salary scale placement may also be affected by the following professional growth equivalent experiences with the prior approval of the Superintendent of Schools or his designee:
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staff development programs sponsored by the Newington School System, which are conducted beyond working hours, and which address topics to improve the school system and/or its programs or professional growth credit earning activities;
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non-credit courses which meet the requirements of Section(c) and are offered either with college credit for an additional fee or without college credit at a lower fee; or
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other after hours professional growth programs, which are sponsored by such organizations as the Capitol Region Education Council and the Connecticut Education Association, which are related to the professional responsibilities of the staff member and which receive prior approval as indicated above.
The Newington Public schools will use a time measurement of hours for professional growth conducted beyond the working hours to advance the salary scale. A total of ten (10) hours of approved non-credit professional growth will be considered the equivalent of one (1) semester hour of college credit. No more than six (6) , or 60 hours, of the fifteen (15) credits needed to change salary scales may be earned through non-college credit programs.
A reminder that with this new process, a Professional Growth Experience Request and Approval form will still be required to obtain and document prior approval for the professional learning should you plan on using these hours for salary advancement.
If you have any questions, please see your building representative or send me an email at ayukna@npsct.org.
This article also appeared in the April 2013 edition of the VaNTAge.