Policy 4355 - Compensation & Related Benefits

Rule 4355

Rule Approved 09/19/1989
Last Revised 09?02?2008 (technical revision)

1. The Board of Education shall annually adopt a management salary schedule.
    
2. Annual progression of a management team member to the next step on the salary schedule shall be dependent on a satisfactory performance evaluation.
    
3. Compensation for an appointment to a position of higher responsibility shall not be less than the percentage that is equal to one step on the lower range.
    
4. Compensation for an appointment to a position of lesser responsibility: the manager shall be placed on the appropriate experience step, including years of satisfactory service at the higher range, e.g. (Managers on Step 4 in the previous position will be placed at Step 5 in the new position.)
    
5. Advanced Degree Allowance: Additional compensation for advanced degrees received from institutions accredited through WASC or similar agency shall be as listed on the adopted salary schedule, and shall include the following degrees: Master’s Degree (M.A., M.S. M.B.A.) Ph.D. or Ed.D. Degree Eligible employees shall be compensated only for the highest degree held.
    
6. Managers serving in acting positions for more than twenty working days shall be compensated at an additional 5% of their per diem rate, retroactive to the first day in the position.
    
7. Retirement Contribution: The District is required by law to contribute annually toward the retirement benefits of each employee at rates established by the Education Code/Government Code.
    
8. Early Retirement Health Benefits:
   1. Eligibility: To be eligible for this program the management employee must:
      1. Have completed ten (10) years of full-time service in the Lodi Unified School District prior to retirement.
      2. Have reached the age of fifty-five (55) prior to the beginning of his/her next school year in which he/she elects to participate in such program.
      3. Not have passed his/her sixty-fourth (64th) birthday at the beginning of retirement.
      4. Arrange retirement to coincide with the end of a school year when possible and to provide sufficient advance notice to the District to obtain an acceptable replacement.
      5. Be approved for early retirement by the District’s Board of Education.
   2. Eligibility Period: The employee will be eligible for the District paid health benefits during early retirement only between the ages of fifty-five (55) and his/her sixty-fifth (65th) birthday. Benefits provided by the District will terminate at the end of the month in which the retiree becomes sixty-five (65). See Paragraph 10 below. Benefits:
      1. For management employees who retired prior to July 1, 1999, health benefits provided in this plan will include only the same coverage as provided for active employees, and premiums will be paid in full by the District. A notice will be mailed by July 1st of each year to retirees covered under the benefit program listing the current benefits.
      2. Effective July 1, 1999, health benefits provided in this plan will include only the same plans which are available to an active management employee in the month the benefit is received. The District contribution for premiums will be a maximum of $5,113.80. A notice will be mailed each year to retirees covered under the benefit program listing the current benefits.
      3. In a case in which the retiree predeceases a spouse and the spouse would have otherwise been covered, the same benefits will be continued for the spouse until the time at which the retiree would have become sixty-five (65). These benefits provided for the surviving spouse will be canceled if the spouse remarries before the normal benefit termination date.
          
9. Benefits Beyond Age Sixty-Five (65) at Retiree’s Expense: Those benefits which may normally be continued beyond age sixty-five (65) when a retiree pays his own premiums will be available to the retiree under those conditions. Availability and procedures will be subject to regulations of the insurance carriers. See Paragraph "a" below.
   1. Health benefits after Age 65: In retirement, after age 65, for management employees who have completed ten (10) years of administrative service in the Lodi Unified School District, the health benefits available to active employees shall also be available for the retired employee and his/her spouse only, with the following stipulations:
      1. The employee shall pay all charges to the District in excess of Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000) per annum, payable quarterly in advance;
      2. Once declined, the participation option shall be considered lapsed; and
      3. If the employee predeceases the spouse, the spouse may continue participation in the benefit program through payment to the District of full cost of the coverage. Participation in this benefit will cease upon remarriage.
          
10. Leaves and Absences:
    1. All management personnel will receive one and one-half (1-1/2) days of sick leave per month of paid service.
    2. Paid and unpaid leaves of absence entitlements for management employees, other than paid vacation days for classified managers, shall not be less than what is provided by the Education Code. Such leaves of absence shall be subject to established District procedures and guidelines.
        
11. Vacation - Classified Managers:
    1. Classified managers who provide paid service for twelve months are expected to render service for the number of days specified in the LUSD Management Salary Schedule for their position. Other workdays beyond the specified work year are considered holidays or paid vacation.
    2. Earned vacation shall not become a vested right until completion of the initial six months of service as a classified manager. The manager may be granted vacation during the school year even though not earned at the time the vacation is taken. If a manager had been granted vacation that was not earned at the time of termination of his/her services, the District shall deduct from the manager’s severance check the full amount of salary which was paid for such unearned days of vacation taken.
    3. Upon separation from the District, the classified manager shall be entitled to a lump sum payment for all earned and unused vacation, except that managers who have not completed six months of service shall not be entitled to such payment.
    4. Classified managers shall not be permitted to accrue vacation days on a year-to-year basis. It is the intent of this policy that all managers use their accumulated vacation within the manager’s work year. e. In the event a classified manager must work on a vacation day(s), he/she may carry into the next work year a maximum of five (5) vacation days.
        
12. Non-Workday for Certificated Managers: Certificated managers who provide paid service for twelve months are expected to render service for the number of days specified for their position in the LUSD Management Salary Schedule. In the event a manager is required to work on a non-scheduled work day(s), he/she may carry into the next work year a maximum of five (5) non-work days.