Show f I r 1 Pintail k I. I if u ati N uti By Dr W. W Wayne ne Reid held Superintendent 1 i 1 District evaluation and grievance procedures The task of the administrator or supervisor is to do just that to administer or to to supervise-to oversee they enjoy it or not not or are competent at it or not administrators have the assignment of evaluating the teachers in their charge as well as the classified personnel who work under them in the line organization This procedure is carefully adhered to in all business fields Administrators then have the further task of recommending to their local boards of education through their superintendent the head supervisor that the person be rehired be transferred to another position within the school system or not be reengaged This is the case across the country and has been so for a long time What is new are the recent laws and court decisions that require administrators to change certain aspects of their task Among these tasks are written observations provision for fair dismissal etc These new laws and court decisions do not create a whole new ball game for a supervisory super program Competent supervisors have always ys shown good reasons when recommending recommending mending that teachers or classified personnel be rehired transferred or dismissed However the immediate effect of the new Fair Dismissal Law the Stull Act and other recent court decisions is to have supervisors tighten up their evaluative procedures This is quite natural and logical Administrators Administrators Administrators Ad Ad- like board members must act in good faith and for the welfare of the district When teachers or classified employees enter into contracts they agree by implication to obey all reasonable rules and regulations of the board of education They ma maY ma therefore be dismissed f insubordination for failure to obey any reasonable rule In addition teachers and classified personnel by implication implication im im- im a agree ee that they will bring to their work a reasonable degree of teaching skill or professional techniques and if they fail to do so they may be dismissed for incompetency It has been held too that an employee is guilty of incompetency in competency in case he so conducts himself as to forfeit the respect of the community The whole course of an employees employees employee's employees employee's em em- conduct must be considered in determining his competency The Uintah School District has sought to provide fair dismissal however through the adoption of the grievance procedure This procedure is found in the back of every role definitions handbook given to all employees this past year If Ifan Ifan Ifan an employee has a grievance against his supervisor his school or area or the Board of Education he is professionally obligated to follow Collow this procedure in redressing any wrongs he feels have been directed toward him He is not allowed to take his case to the public be on the radio appeal to the press etc until grievance methods have been exhausted This type of procedure is very similar to any other business operation in any anys s sector The district grievance procedure provides for a variety of steps step It states if difficulties or grievances cannot be settled then the following procedures are to be followed 1 an aggrieved employee is encouraged encouraged en en- to present his complaint complaint com com- plaint to his principal he may choose someone to accompany accompany ac ac- ac company him If the interview with the principal proves unsatisfactory unsatisfactory un un- sa satisfactory the aggrieved employee may request an interview interview in in- with the Assistant Superintendent he may have the local professional or classified representative with him 2 If the aggrieved employee employee em em- is not satisfied with the decision of the Assistant Superintendent he may present his case to the Superintendent Superintendent 3 If H the aggrieved employee is not satisfied satisfied satis satis- fied present his complaint complaint com com- pl plaint int with all evidence to the the Board of Education 4 present his complaint to Board of Education in a hearing and he may request the services of the local state or and-or national professional or classified associations as they apply in the case After such a hearing the decision of the Board will be final 5 Any complaint against any employee employee em em- be referred to the Superintendent and he may in turn refer the complaint to his professional relations committee committee com com- appointed by himself himself him him- self This grievance procedure also goes on to incorporate provisions for for aggrieved students and aggrieved parents It should be mentioned that on ona ona ona a couple of cases the aggrieved employee has not followed said professional conduct thereby creating a situation of i insubordination insubordination in in- subordination which is grounds for automatic dismissal Regardless of the feelings of potential self-appointed self guardian angels and verbal blasts on the radio or elsewhere the Uintah School District and its administrators try very hard to be consistent in these regards We will strive to follow by decisions of court cases relative to these critical areas and other legal precedents thereby established Administrators deal with evaluation as a means of improvement improvement improvement im im- provement not as a means of firing some employees although this this' becomes the end product in some cases However when employees violate the code of professionalism which is in effect when they sign their contract very often these decisions are taken out of the proper channels not by the Board or supervisors choice but by the employee himself It is the feeling of the local teachers teacher's association and likewise the local classified association that this grievance procedure is one of the finer accomplishments on employee welfare the Uintah School District has accepted They intend to professionally utilize its machinery and resist their members who desire to take other unprofessional avenues |