New Paraeducator Inservice

1
New Paraeducator Inservice

• August, 2009

2
Thank you for joining our team

• Team members support each other
• Team members are respectful of all members
• Team members count on each other to carry out
  their assignments

3
Teams have a coach

• High Plains Educational Cooperative consists of
  17 districts in Southwest Kansas
• Each district board of education has a
  representative to the High Plains Education Board

4
Great Teams dont run up the score just because
they can

• We will not tolerate harassment or bullying
• Not among students, not by staff, not between
  staff
• If you see it, hear it, hear about it, report it
  to your supervisor
• Schools have to be a safe and secure place for
  everyone
• Please read page 6 of your handbook

5
Great players commit to their team

• We appreciate that you have talent
• We appreciate your willingness to support your
  community, school and students
• HPEC is your first commitment while on the job

6
Plays are relayed in a sequence

• You are responsible to your immediate supervisor
• If you have questions, issues, concerns, please
  address these with your immediate supervisor
• If he/she is unable to help, he/she may ask for
  assistance from the building principal
• The building principal may ask for assistance
  from the HPEC area supervisor and or HPEC Director

7
Coaches review film for improvement

• Identify the problem or issue, not people
• Listen openly without judgment
• Focus on the future. Dont rehash the past
• Determine options and solutions
• Reflect on choice, adjust

8
What time is practice?

• The regular work day is defined as 7 hours per
  day
• Full time employment is defined as 35 hours per
  week
• Your personnel action that you will receive in
  September will define total hours
• Your supervisor will communicate work time for
  early release days, parent teacher conference
  days and district inservice days

9
Trading teams

• If you find it necessary to leave your employment
  with HPEC, please submit a letter of resignation
  at least 10 school days prior to your final day
  of work
• Your last day of work must be a working day.
  Leave time does not apply to your last day of work

10
Getting a check

• Employment forms must be on file at the central
  office by the 15th of the month
• First paycheck may be delayed with out all
  employment forms in the central office
• All paperwork necessary for employment may be
  found on our website at www.highplainsed.com

11
When, where and how to get a check !
12
Pay day is on the 27th of each month If the 27th
falls on a Saturday, Sunday or HPEC Central
office holiday, checks will be sent out on the
proceeding day First payday is September
27th To be paid on the 27th, time sheets will
need to be at the HPEC central office on the 15th
of each month
13
Careful. Paraeducators are paid an hourly
wage Your 1st pay check will be issued September
27th It will pay for work days starting today,
Aug 6th, and any workdays up to and including
September 15th
14
The front office highly recommends
Direct deposit
15
Benefit options

• Paraeducators are eligible to participate in our
  Section 125 plan
• Section 125 offers a before tax benefit to pay
  for medical expense reimbursement, Dependent care
  reimbursement, cancer insurance and other options
• See your American Fidelity representative when
  he/she comes to your district. Probably late
  October, early November
• Because it is an offered benefit, you must sign
  that you accept or decline participation in a 125
  program
• Besides, they are really nice people

16
Skipping training camp
After 21 working days, paraeducators are granted
10 emergency leave of which 2 days may be
designated as personal days. Emergency leave
applies when you are ill, the illness of your or
your spouses immediate family. Page 11 contains
a listed of considered immediate family.
17
Leave time not taken during the year moves to the
next year to accumulate up to 40 days. Personal
days do not accumulate.
18
Mandatory attendance at camp
Personal days are not available during the first
or last week of school, the day before or after a
scheduled holiday or the week of orientation
(inservice time)
19
Matching up
Leave forms should be signed by your supervisor
and building principal Leave forms need to match
timesheets
20
Game cancelled
7 hours a year for unscheduled school closings
such as snow days, early release due to weather,
state basketball, music festival, track meet
21
Reporting injuries

• The HPEC board provides workers compensation
  benefits for all employees
• If you are injured on the job, report the
  incident to your supervisor, principal and to
  Chrissie at the HPEC central office immediately
• Fill out the workers compensation form within 5
  days and mail to Chrissie at the HPEC central
  office
• Worker compensation forms are available at the
  HPEC website

22
Determining your contract

• Salary schedule is on page 16 of the paraeducator
  handbook
• If you have college hours you would like
  considered, please make sure there is an official
  college transcript at the HPEC Central office
  before September 1st. Call or email Meri James
  at the HPEC central office if you have any
  questions.

23
Deductions

• Kansas Public Retirement System (KPERS)
  participation is required
• Social security is required
• Federal and state taxes will be withheld based on
  your W-4 form

24
Getting invited back

• Paraeducators who have worked as a Kansas special
  education para less than 3 years (within the past
  3 years) are to complete 20 hours of inservice if
  employed for 9 months during the school year.
• This guidance applies to everyone here today.

25
Magic dates

• With in 30 days of employment
• End of the semester
• End of third nine weeks
• By May 15th
• Points may be accumulated between July 1st and
  May 15th
• June is a wash

26
(No Transcript)
27
When you move to the varsity team
Paraeducators who have worked as a Kansas special
education para for more than 3 years (including
the past 3 years) must complete 10 hours in
inservice if employed for 9 months during the
school year.
28
How to get additional practice time

• Paraeducators may earn inservice points by
• Attending HPEC sponsored inservice
• Attending local district inservice when
  appropriate
• Appropriate training offered by other agencies
  such as hospitals, SRS, Area Mental Health
  covering topics such as CPR, First Aid..
• Approved on line training such as autism modules,
  reading academy and infinitec

29
Passing the ParaPro20 points (one time only
event). Call Ellen at the HPEC office for more
information. Resources through the HPEC
professional library housed at the HPEC central
office. We have several videos available.
30

• All inservices are 1 point per contact hour.
  This does not include breaks, lunch, working in
  your room etc. So that means today is worth?

31
College credit from an accredited institution20
pts. per credit hour
32
Let us support you becoming a teacher
33
Tuition reimbursement plan

• If you have less than 60 credit hours or less
  than an associates degree, HPEC will reimburse
  employed paraeducators up to 70 per credit hour
  for coursework leading to an associates degree in
  education.
• If you have complete your associates degree and
  are beginning coursework at the junior/senior
  level, HPEC will reimburse educational coursework
  up to 140 per credit hour. There are some
  stipulations. Please refer to page 18 of the
  paraeducator handbook.

34
To receive reimbursement

• Send an email or snail mail to Gail Gillespie at
  ggilles_at_pld.com before you enroll in class.
  Please list the name of the college, name of the
  class and number of credit hours for the class.
  Funds are set aside on a first come, first serve
  basis.
• When you have completed the class, fill out an
  expense report showing the cost of the credit
  hours. Attach proof of payment to this expense
  report. Send an official transcript to the HPEC
  Central office. Classes with a grade of C or
  better will be reimbursed.

35
This is a reimbursement program. We will
reimburse staff October 1st for spring and summer
classes. Fall classes will be reimbursed
February 1st. Paperwork, including an official
transcript will need to be in the HPEC office
before reimbursement will be issued.
36
(No Transcript)
37
Evaluations

• First year paraeducators evaluations occur in
  October and March
• All others at least in March
• Supervisor and Principal complete the evaluation
• Evaluation forms may be found on our website

38
Responsibilities for Paraeducators

• Paraeducators should..
• Provide follow up or remedial instruction as
  planned by you
• Be a role model

• Examples
• Preteaching vocabulary
• Pre-read the text/story to the student
• Set up assistive technology
• Scaffold text using tabs/highlighters

39
Dont trade plays

• You deal with a parents most precious person.
• Parents send us the best student they can.
• We are not judges, we support students and their
  families.
• When in doubt ask.

40
Only staff that work with the student have a
right to student information. Share information
with your supervisor for instruction, not
moaning, groaning and griping. If you must moan,
groan or gripe, do so in private with your
supervisor or call an HPEC administrator. We can
always listen. We all have bad days, get
tired... This includes kids. You never know how
their day started.
41
Discuss student progress and behavior only with
those directly involved with the student. Direct
parent inquiries to the supervising
teacher. Direct inter-departmental or
inter-school issues to those who can solve the
problem.
42
Paraeducators should not be responsible for

• The most difficult student 100 of the time.
• To provide all of the personal care to a student.
  We need to share. I never ask someone to do
  what I am unwilling to do.

• Writing lesson plans
• Independent communication with staff or parents
• Assign grades
• Whole class instruction
• Giving the student the answer
• Doing the students work