EMAIL Re: HR 5/11/06
List of topics in this email:
1) Priority Placement of Teachers
2) Voluntary Transfers
3) Temporary to Probationary Contracts
4) Hiring New Teachers- Process reminders
5) Classified Lay off Letters
6) Reasonable Assurance Letters
1) Priority Placement of Teachers: By contract certificated staff in the following situations has a priority for placement in fall staffing - Closing/Reconfiguring School, Consolidations, Involuntary Transfers, Leave Returns. Through RBB, multiple consultations with administrators and verification of resignation information, a vacancy list was created. Using credential information, teacher preference and seniority we are currently finishing up matching teacher requests with positions. This process will conclude today, Friday, May 12th. For each position on the vacancy list, the Administrator and Network Executive Officer will be notified via email of either the individual assigned to the position or the fact that the position remains vacant and will be available for Voluntary Transfer or external hires.
2) Voluntary Transfer process: Administrators and Network Executive Officers with positions/ vacancies remaining after the Priority Placement Process, as well as any updated (new) vacancies, will be notified via email of the position, individuals requesting a voluntary transfer to that site/position, previous site, contact information, if available, and credential information. From that point, administrators may contact the indicated individuals and submit EAFs for any individual selected. Please be aware, individuals may contact the administrator as well. HRSS will verify with the employee all placements for EAFs submitted.
This process will begin as soon as notification emails are sent (projected Monday, May 15th) and end the first Friday in June (June 2nd). Please note that once this process begins, HRSS will also receive EAFs for internal/external hires who have applied for positions which are vacant.
3) Temporary vs. Probationary Contract Conversion Updates: As you may know, the district issued more temporary contracts than necessary this school year. Temporary contracts are primarily used for individuals covering for someone on leave. We have identified by site, the number of temp teachers and the number of teachers on leave. One factor that we are revisiting is the number of temporary contracts at sites and district wide to help us determine the number of probationary contracts we can convert to probationary contracts at this point. Administrators with temporary contract teachers will be requested to provide HRSS with information to help us make final decisions about this conversion process. We are now in the process of verifying our data and intend to provide the list to administrators Tuesday, May 16th.
4) Hiring New Teachers
Principals may actively pursue candidates from May 11 to July 14 from the following groups:
* Teachers who are voluntarily pursuing a transfer;
* Teachers from the District cohort groups:
1. Oakland Teaching Fellows,
2. Oakland City Teaching Corps,
3. Teach For America,
4. Exchange Teachers from Spain, and
5. HRSS approved candidates via Ed-Join (external candidates)
***IMPORTANT***
If you have personally recruited a teacher for your school and/or on behalf of the District, remember to instruct that teacher to make application through Ed-Join. To receive full consideration, a potential candidate must submit all required documents through Ed-Join. OUSD only accepts electronic (Ed-Join) applications from prospective teachers, and no longer accepts hard copies of application materials. We encourage you to contact teachers who you are personally recruiting, so that HRSS can prioritize these teachers for early pre-screening/pre-approval consideration.
We also encourage you to forward an e-mail supporting this potential candidate to Tara Gard, HRSS Recruitment Generalist at
tara.gard@ousd.k12.ca.us
Effective July 17, the District will begin placing unassigned teachers into vacancies, and principals may no longer present contingency offers to candidates with some exceptions made for critical shortage/ hard to fill positions.
As you know, OUSD has commitments to hire a certain number of teachers from each of the four cohort partners (see above), and this may impact HRSS' ability to immediately respond affirmatively to a recommendation to hire a candidate through HRSS' external process (Ed-Join). Please work with your HRSS Generalist to review and take advantage of the many qualified candidates that will be available to you through District sponsored cohort programs.
Electronic Screening of Certificated Applicants:
A User's Guide to Ed-Join
As you know, this spring the District decided that it would only accept certificated applications via Ed-Join. HRSS believes this decision supports the District's desire to receive information from applicants and to review and respond more timely in qualifying outstanding candidates for teaching positions.
Thus, in an effort to better serve our two major clients, the applicant and the hiring manager, the HRSS Recruitment Office is providing principals and network officers with direct access to pre-qualified applicant information.
Following are the easy to read, step-by-step instructions for accessing Ed-Join. One set of instructions is for the principal/hiring manager; the second set is for the network officer/supervisor.
The HRSS Recruitment Office has begun to pre-screen and pre-qualify teaching applicants. We have completed the initial screening, and will complete the subsequent steps of our more detailed screening process as quickly as possible. The HRSS Recruitment Office will continue to screen and pre-qualify applicants as they submit the required material.
Personal access for our principals/hiring managers to Ed-Join is a
tremendous step towards the aggressive recruiting efforts that our district and the children of Oakland deserve.
The HRSS Recruitment Office is excited about building a strong and productive relationship with our clients. Should you have any questions regarding Ed-Join, guidance with accessing Ed-Join, assistance with screening applicants, and contacting applicants, please contact:
Tara Gard, Recruitment Generalist, Ext. 8086
tara.gard@ousd.k12.ca.us
laurina.schmuck@ousd.k12.ca.us
5) Classified Bumping/Layoff: At the conclusion of RBB, several
classified positions were eliminated. This information is used along with that provided directly to HRSS to determine which employees, if any, must be notified that they may be reassigned or laid off. Because of seniority rights to the existing classification and lower classifications, it is next to impossible to know all individuals who will be impacted. For this reason, letters are sent to the employee whose position is being eliminated and also to those in the same classification with lower seniority. This means that although you may not have eliminated a position, an employee may be bumped from your site. However, this year, we anticipate less than 40 actual layoffs from the over 200 positions eliminated and 200+ individuals notified. This is because we know from RBB we also have many vacancies that can be filled by the individuals impacted. This process is scheduled to continue through June 9th. Your HRSS Representative will communicate with site administrators/ central office managers regarding placements/ movements of classified staff that affect their school/ department.
6) Reasonable Assurance Letters: On Thursday we distributed 1,135 reasonable assurance letters to 10-month classified permanent staff and 1,300+ letters to classified and certificated substitutes. The letters indicate our current belief that their services will be needed for 2006-07. Reasonable Assurance letters help ensure that 10-month employees do not collect unemployment to which they are not eligible over the summer
months. Normally, this letter also includes the return-to-duty dates, but because these dates are the subject of ongoing negotiation, that was not possible. For permanent employees, this letter also indicates that it may be superseded by a layoff notice because the layoff list is not fully known at the time reasonable assurance letters must be mailed.
(3/26/06)
Processing non-OUSD Applicants:
When recruiting non-OUSD candidates, try to complete the following steps to ensure more efficient placement:
- TB Testing (they pay, many cheap locals)
- Fingerprinting (by appointment at OUSD)
- Copy of Valid Credential
- Copy of testing results (not necessarily required for all applicants, but better safe than sorry)
- References list (3)
- Letter of Intent
- Resume
- Unofficial College transcripts (not necessarily required for all applicants, but better safe than sorry)
- OUSD Application
Below is the language posted on Ed-Join to apply for a job.
Applications are available in the lobby of the Paul Robeson Administration Building at 1025 Second Avenue; Oakland, CA 94606; applicants may also apply online at www.edjoin.org (preferred method). Completed applications must be submitted in Room #200 of the Paul Robeson Administration Building at 1025 Second Avenue, Oakland, CA 94606 by close of business on DATE DUE.
(3/15/06)
#1 RECOMMENDATION!!!
POST YOUR FLYER ALL OVER:
-Laney College
-Merritt College
-UC Berkeley
-Mills College
-Alameda College
-CSU East Bay
-UCSF
-USF
-Holy Names College
Get out with your design team members and POST THAT FLYER!!!
As of 3/14/06...This was forwarded to NSDG by HR
(Appears to have been distributed in mid-February)
Guidelines and Support for addressing Middle School NCLB compliance for Highly Qualified Teachers
NCLB compliance requirements for Middle School teachers have been challenging for Middle Schools due to the number of teachers with Multiple Subject Credentials, the various options for configuring curriculum and the fact that guidelines for addressing credential issues are said to be the prevue of each District/ LEA. In order to progressively move Oakland Unified School District toward the most flexible approach to complying with NCLB we will be using a phased approach for Middle Schools. These phases are outlined below by school year.
For 2005-2006
The Middle School Grid distributed last month with your interim report on teacher compliance will be in effect for one year. This MS Grid highlights our intention to allow a Multiple Subject credential for teaching a core program.
For 2006-2007
Require all teachers to become certified in single subjects they teach to allow more flexibility in scheduling. Allow Multiple Subject credentials for those teachers that teach only in core programs are developed, reviewed and approved by Middle School Network Executive Officers. Clear academic guidelines for establishing and/or continuing a core program will be distributed in the next 30 days along with a process for review and approval of the Network Executive Officers.
Support:
To support each Principal in clarifying and applying these guidelines for this year and next year we would like to schedule individual appointments with each Principal. The sessions will include Laty Keodouangsy our credentialing specialists. During these sessions we will have the most updated version of your School report for NCLB compliance and your current Master Schedule. We will review and clarify any particular teachers you have questions about in terms of meeting NCLB compliance and will assess how to best provide follow-up support to teachers at your school. We will also discuss possible curriculum configurations for the coming school year. Please contact us with your availability between February 21 and March 1 so that we may schedule appointments.
Considerations for the interview process:
(Many of these are already practiced among teams and are here as reflections.)
- Closing appreciations should highlight something the candidate said that stood out to you.
- Clarity at the end as to when they will be notified and what the team's next steps will be is critical.
- Perhaps having bottled water on hand for candidates and for the panel.
- Have many extra copies of the interview questions as well as additional copies on hand of the resume, cover letter, and essay questions.
- Create a binder for each member of your interview team to keep applicant docuements and hiring materials.
(2/28/06)
Credentials:
This information is not laminated official, but is what one ExO and HR have discussed:
As of March 1st, 2006, all teachers who are not CLAD will be asked by principals to sign a commitment letter stating that they are
seeking the CLAD. They will then qualify as NCLB compliant for ONE MORE CALENDAR YEAR. That means site staff who sign this can be interviewed and offered jobs.
As for Credentials: This is STILL be debated. NCLB gives states the authority to define Highly Qualified for middle school. States have the authority to authorize districts to define it for themselves. In CA, however, the county is the authority with respect to teacher credentialing. Alameda County Office of Ed. therefore has authority.
The current arrangement is that 6-8th grade for 06-07 ONLY will have the ability to staff a "core" class with a multiple subject. The current debate is whether to define core as two coures or three. If it is three, likely English, Social Studies and Reading would be the norm. That said, though the teacher and the students need to be the "same" to qualify as a core, the subjects can occur at different times during the day. This means you could have a core of Eng./SS in the morning and "Reading" with the same students and teacher in the afternoon. We can talk about a "teacher of record" on this one as well. It is also possible that they land on two subjects as a qualified core. This should be known soon by the ExO.
Additionally, and far more sweeping and certain is that ACOE has decided that it will define 6th grade as "middle school" because NCLB states that "middle school" is what is defined locally. If it were to define it as elementary, then the federal government gets to regulate the Highly Qualified requirements. Therefore, after 06-07, 6-8th grade will be required to show subject-matter competency in whatever courses a teachere teaches.
2/27/06
NOTICE:
Be thinking about staffing other than teachers as many of you already are. HR should speak to this. Be prepared to
create your own job descriptions
for these.
(2/26/06)
WHAT SHOULD YOU BE DOING???
CREATE ALL CALL Flyer
(Please send Drafts to coach ASAP prior to posting)
Should include:
IN EACH:
Spreadsheet with:
1. Name of candidate
2. Date first contacted
3. Position qualifications (Based on paperwork)
4. Resume (you will mark if submitted)
5. Letter (you will mark if submitted)
6. References (you will mark if submitted)
7. Essay (you will mark if submitted)
8. Comments (Any background known)
9. Notes (Where next steps for candidate will be recorded)
UPDATES & FORMS
Hiring Documents and Organization Samples
RESEARCH
(2/23/05)
WHAT SHOULD YOU BE DOING???
Flyer should be posted in all possible external venues:
One design team's recruitment list:
Online:
Craig's List
Monster.com
Caljobs.com
Careerbuilders.com
Newspapers:
Oakland Tribune
SF Chronicle
Berkeley Daily Planet
Monclarion
San Jose Mercury News
* Guardian
* East Bay Express
Universities
* Focus here is on Alumni resources to attract graduates WITH experience as opposed to “brand new teachers”
Local
•
Holy Names
•
Mills
•
UCB
•
USF
•
CSUSF
•
CSUEB
Not Local
•
Harvard
•
Brown
•
Stanford
•
Your favorite alma mater
Associations/ Organizations (sic = exact name unknown)
•
Association of Middle Schools
•
CABE
•
Association of Mathematics Teachers (sic)
•
Association of English Teachers (sic)
•
Association of Science Teachers (sic)
•
Association of Black Educators (sic)
•
BayCES
•
CES
BEST PRACTICES
POST JOBS!!!
Design Team Leaders
HIRING
Latest:
EVERY LEADER
SHOULD ALREADY
HAVE 10 NEW CANDIDATES TO CONTACT VIA EdJoin BY MONDAY, MAY 22nd
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to see
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-Craigslist
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