Before the district-wide school calendar is determined each year, the contract specifies that the HFT President shall receive a draft. Once received, HFT sends it out to all members such that suggestions and comments can be gathered. HFT then shares these suggestions and comments with the district.
Category Archives: Contract Corner
Evaluations: Formal Evaluations
Formal observations should occur before February 1. A formal observation requires the educator to complete the pre-observation form which is reviewed during a pre-observation conference. The educator should be given two days’ notice of the pre-conference meeting. After the formal observation, the educator is required to complete the post-observation form and a post-observation conference is …
Annual Posting/Preference Sheets
The contract outlines a process whereby HFT members can request a change of assignment or a voluntary transfer to another building. To change one’s assignment within your current building or program, members must submit a preference sheet. These are submitted around February 1. HFT distributes preference sheets to building reps each year around this time. …
Health and Safety Committee
Each school has a health and safety committee. This committee meets every other month and can include members from other unions. Up to 5 HFT members can sit on this committee, selected by the Union (HFT Building Rep and/or Union School Committee).
Salary Upgrades
Continuing education for HFT members is encouraged and members can apply for a salary upgrade when they have achieved a master’s degree, a sixth-year degree, 60 credits beyond a master’s degree, or a doctorate. Members wishing to apply for a salary upgrade must complete the salary upgrade request form through OTM and attach an official …
Tuition Reimbursement
After completing one year of employment with HPS, HFT members are entitled to tuition reimbursement for their coursework at the rate of $675/credit up to 6 credits per year. Requests for tuition reimbursement must be made within three months of the receipt of the final grade in the course. There is a form to fill …
Schedules: Prep and Duty Time; Duty Free Lunch
All certified staff shall have 225 minutes of preparation time per week, on average. For PreK-6 teachers, 45 minutes of prep can be directed by administration. This is frequently used for team meetings. All other prep is unencumbered. Therefore, it is not insubordinate to say no to a request to utilize your prep time for …
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USC Meetings/BR/Union Meetings in Buildings
Every building should have a Union School Committee (USC) consisting of 3-5 HFT members from the school. The USC meets with the principal monthly to raise issues of concern from the staff. HFT recommends that USCs also bring possible solutions to these meetings so there is a place from which to begin discussions and seek …
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Personal Time
All HFT members are entitled to 5 paid personal days. These personal days are deducted from the member’s sick time, however, even if the member runs out of sick days, they are still entitled to 5 paid personal days. Personal days are used for funerals, holy days, quarantine, absence for partner for birth of a …
Class Size
The HFT contract caps class sizes at 23 students in grades PK-2, 27 students in grades 3-6, and 28 students in grades 7-12. Class sizes are leveled after October 10. Between September 16 and October 10, any member who believes their class(es) exceed class size limits should submit a claim of excessive class size. The …
