10.2 – Conditions of Appointment for Faculty

  1. Licensure and Iowa Teacher Career Path

All faculty eligible for employment with the Iowa Educational Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired must hold and maintain the appropriate State of Iowa licensure for the position to which they are appointed. A copy of this licensure must be maintained in the Human Resources Office at the Iowa Braille School. For more information on licensure through the Iowa Department of Education, go to their website at:

The following career path levels are established at the Iowa Educational Services for the blind and Visually Impaired per Iowa Code 284.7:

  1. Beginning teacher
  2. Career teacher
  3. Career II teacher
  4. Advanced Teacher
  1. Failure to Maintain Necessary Qualifications

Employees whose job classification or position requires the possession and maintenance of a license, permit, certificate, registration, or approval in order to perform the essential functions of that position’s assigned duties and who subsequently have that license, permit, certificate, registration, or approval revoked, rescinded, suspended, or renewal denied may be terminated from employment for failure to maintain the necessary qualifications required for that position. The term “license” shall be defined as a license, certification, registration, permit, approval, renewal, or other similar authorization issued by a licensing authority which evidences the admission to, or granting of authority to engage in a profession, occupation, business, or industry, or to operate or register a motor vehicle.

  1. Faculty Matrix Schedule Guide

Annually the Board of Regents approves a faculty matrix (schedule guide) for the ensuing school year. The faculty matrix shall be interpreted as a guide for issuing contracts to all teachers and shall not be construed as a binding document between the Board of Regents and the teaching staff. However, the Board will make every reasonable effort to maintain the schedule.

  1. Experience
  2. At the discretion of the school administration, incoming teachers may be given up to twenty (20) years credit on the schedule for experience outside the Iowa Educational Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Credit for experience must have been received within the twenty-year period immediately prior to employment with Iowa Educational Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired. To those incoming teachers who have not held a full-time teaching position for at least one school year in the past five-year period prior to employment with Iowa Educational Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired, only five (5) years credit may be given for any previous experience.
  3. Employees on the regular salary schedule (faculty matrix) shall be granted one increment or vertical step on the schedule for each year of service until the maximum for their educational classification is reached, so long as, in the opinion of the Superintendent, they are fulfilling their faculty responsibilities in a satisfactory manner. A second step increment may be awarded to any faculty member by the Superintendent to recognize extra-meritorious performance of a faculty member's assigned duties and responsibilities or where there has been a unique professional contribution to the school.
  4. Employees on the regular salary schedule (faculty matrix) who move from one educational track to a higher educational track shall move to the corresponding eligible step on the higher track. For an employee to advance from one educational track to another, suitable evidence of additional educational credit shall be filed with the Superintendent by September 15. (Official transcript mailed directly from educational institution required.)
  5. No faculty member shall be hired or promoted to a track for which they do not possess the minimum educational requirements. All degrees and graduate credits, in the opinion of the Superintendent, should be appropriate and reasonably related to the duties of the faculty member. Undergraduate credits, at the discretion of the Superintendent, normally shall not be considered in determining placement beyond Track I. GRADUATE COURSES SHOULD BE APPROVED IN ADVANCE BY THE SUPERINTENDENT FOR EACH FACULTY MEMBER IN ORDER FOR SUCH CREDIT TO QUALIFY THE FACULTY MEMBER FOR PROMOTION TO A HIGHER TRACK. A faculty member shall be promoted to the track for which, in the opinion of the Superintendent, the faculty member possesses the minimum educational requirements on or before the commencement of the academic year in which the promotion is to be effective.
  6. Faculty members shall be awarded the appropriate certification increment in accordance with the pay schedule, when they have received certification on or before the commencement of the academic year in which the certification increment is to be paid. Faculty members shall be required to maintain certification to retain the certification increment.
  7. Any credit taken between degrees shall be excluded in determining placement on the salary schedule.
  8. Contract Days

The number of days in any faculty contract is determined by the Superintendent, based on need and available funding, and in collaboration with the Regional Directors. Transferring faculty during the creation of the Statewide System for Vision Services shall retain the same number of contract days as they had when in the employment of the AEA or the LEA. The standard faculty contract consists of 189 days, of which no less than 180 shall be scheduled for teaching days. Faculty who are new to the school system generally have two additional contract days.

Generally, faculty who serve students in local education agencies and area education agencies will work with the Regional Director and their AEA Supervisor to determine the calendar days (usually 189 days) that best fit the needs of the school districts served. This is to be done by September 1 each year. Any changes in the calendar desired after September 1 should be submitted to the faculty member’s Regional Director. The Regional Director will notify the staff member when the change has been approved by the Director and / or the Superintendent.

  1. Hours of Duty

Faculty working throughout the state will be expected to work professional hours in order to accomplish their responsibilities, and that will generally be an eight-hour day including a 30 minute lunch period. Faculty are not eligible for compensatory time (“comp time”), which is the practice of banking hours worked above the eight-hour day to be used as vacation time in the future. Absences during regular scheduled work hours should be reported as the appropriate paid leave (e.g. sick leave, vacation). Flexing of work hours around personal activities is generally not allowed, unless an exception is granted by the respective supervisor. In the event a faculty member is allowed to flex work hours, any missed work time should be made up within the same day and no later than the same work week. If missed work cannot be made up within the same week, paid leave should be used.

Revised 4/2014

  1. Insurance Premiums
  2. Health insurance and dental insurance will be deducted from the salaries of eligible personnel if the cost of the coverage elected exceeds that paid by the agency. The State shall contribute the amount of monthly premium designated by the Iowa Executive Council.
  3. Life insurance in the amount of two and one-half times annual salary is carried on each eligible employee to a maximum benefit of $250,000. The premium is paid in full by the State.
  4. Long-term disability and accidental death and dismemberment insurance is carried on each eligible employee and paid by the State. Workers' compensation insurance is carried on all employees and paid by the State.
  5. Absence from Work
  6. Sick Leave

Employees will accrue sick leave as provided by law and will be entitled to such leave on presentation of satisfactory evidence of illness or injury. Regular, part-time employees will accrue sick leave in an amount equivalent to their fractional employment, and no employee will be granted sick leave in excess of the amount accumulated. The rate of accrual is one and one-half (1-1/2) working days for each month worked.

  1. Emergency and Funeral Leave

The Regional Director and / or the Superintendent, when satisfied by evidence presented, will allow employees to utilize accrued sick leave for the following circumstances:

a)not to exceed three (3) days for each occurrence in the case of death in the employee's immediate family;

b)not to exceed one (1) day for each occurrence for service as pallbearer at the funeral of a person not a member of the employee's immediate family; and

c)not to exceed five (5) days a year for the temporary emergency care of ill or injured members of the employee's immediate family for the time necessary to permit the employee to make other arrangements.

  1. Family Medical Leave (FMLA)

Faculty may have the right to access a medical leave of absence under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) for their serious health condition or for that of an immediate family member. This provision allows for up to 12 weeks unpaid leave per year, with doctor verification of need. The agency will continue to cover its portion of insurance premiums during this time. Sick leave and personal days will be attributed to the 12 week leave time, concurrently, until exhausted. Contact Human Resources for more specific information.

  1. Personal Leave

Annually, sixteen hours of personal time will be granted to faculty members at the beginning of the contract year. This allowance shall be cumulative to not more than three days (twenty-four hours). Requests for use of personal leave must be made to, and approved by the supervisor. Supervisors will consider the potential impact on students and service provision prior to approving or denying requests for personal leave. Personal leave may be taken in 2 hour increments.

  1. Professional Leave Time

Professional leave time may be granted without loss of pay with prior approval of the Regional Director and concurrence of the Superintendent for in-service training, school visitations and professional conferences.

  1. Unexcused Absence (Absence Without Pay)

A faculty member may request absence without pay from the Regional Director with notification to the Superintendent and Director of Human Resources. Absences of this nature shall not be granted immediately prior to, nor immediately following, school vacation periods. Compensation for payroll deductions will be the contracted salary divided by the total number of contract days or may be deducted in full from the pay period during which the absence occurred.

  1. Temporary Assignment

A supervisor may temporarily assign a faculty member to other duties, either on or off campus as work assignments require. The hours worked will be equal or less than those of the regular work schedule.

  1. ContractTeacher

Contracts are governed by the State's continuing contract law and as identified in the Board of Regents Policy Manual, Section 4.21 Teacher Contracts (Special Schools).

  1. Contract Completion

Recognizing that a contract is a bilateral instrument, it is agreed to return the contract within twenty-one (21) days from date of issuance, with no release from contract after April 15 unless a qualified and competent replacement is found as determined by the Superintendent.

  1. Training Requirements

All faculty must file and/or update complete college transcripts and ACVREP certification with the Superintendent's Office by September 15 each year. Faculty must notify the Human Resources staff of changes in the track earned since issuance of the contract, prior to the first working day of the contract. Faculty taking additional college credit for track movement or reimbursement must have prior approval by the Superintendent.

  1. Preparation Time

For instructional personnel, a minimum of two and one-half (2-1/2) hours per week preparation time will be provided for each five (5) day week. Preparation time is to be used for pupils and/or parent conferences, lesson preparation, or any other relevant instructional effort. Concerns regarding preparation time should be discussed with the respective Regional Director

  1. Evaluations

TIER I BEGINNING TEACHER EVALUATION

TIER II CONSULTANTS

TIER II CAREER TEACHER EVALUATION

TIER III INTENSIVE ASSISTANCE

Teacher evaluation criteria conforms with Chapter 272 and 284 of the Code of Iowa. Beginning teachers will be informed prior to the beginning teacher’s participation in a mentoring and induction program, of the criteria upon which the beginning teacher shall be evaluated and of the evaluation process used by the agency. Upon completion of the program, the beginning teacher shall be comprehensively evaluated to determine if the teacher meets expectations to move to the career level. A beginning teacher may be offered a third year of participation in the program, if necessary.

The Career Teacher will have an individual teacher career development plan. Evaluations are aligned with the Iowa teaching standards, found in 284.3 of the Code of Iowa. The teacher shall present to the Evaluator, evidence of progress. The teacher’s evaluator shall meet annually with the teacher to review progress and make any modifications in the career development plan.

Evaluators shall be administrators or other practitioners who have successfully completed an evaluator training program pursuant to section 284.10.

  1. Regent Rights

The Board of Regents, State of Iowa reserves the right to amend or abolish this pay plan and these rules annually or make changes at any time in the event of severe economic restraints or budgetary cutbacks.

  1. Probationary Period and Continuing Contract

The first three consecutive years of employment of a teacher are a probationary period. However, if the teacher has successfully completed a probationary period for another Iowa school district, the probationary employment at IESBVI shall not exceed one year. The Board may waive the probationary period for any teacher who previously has served a probationary period in another Iowa school district and the Board may extend the probationary period for an additional year with the consent of the teacher. Upon completion of the probationary period, the contract shall be continued automatically for equivalent periods except as modified or terminated by mutual agreement or for cause.

Approved by Board of Regents 04/20/88

Revised 08/2016