C. Professional liability - The Board of Education protects every professional staff member by providing a blanket liability policy which covers up to $5,000,000.
Professional Leave
Upon written request to the principal by the staff member, for the purpose of attending relevant Professional meetings or workshops may be granted.
Maternity Leave
At a staff member's request and approval by the superintendent, maternity leave is granted without pay. The staff member and the administration will agree upon the length of the leave taking into account the needs of the school system and the staff member. The staff member may choose to use accumulated sick leave during the period of maternity leave. It is very important for the staff member to contact the payroll office in advance to coordinate the state insurance allotment and premium payments.
Other Leave
The Board may grant leaves of absence up to one year for reasons other than those sited above with the stipulation the employee will be re-employed in the first vacant position for which he or she is qualified.
Continuation of Salary during Absence due to Job-Related Injury
If any staff member is injured on the job, he or she will receive full pay for the period of up to 90 working days. To receive such compensation, the staff member must provide the Superintendent with satisfactory evidence that the absence is due to job-related injury.
Vacations and Holidays
All professional and support staff members who work on a twelve-month contract year receive ten days of paid vacation annually. Beginning in the eleventh year of employment, all 12-month staff members are provided an additional five days of vacation for a total of fifteen days.
Staff Development
A significant portion of the school system budget is designated for staff development activities which may include workshop registration fees, related travel expenses, costs for consultants and resource people, and stipends for employees who participate in training activities.
Employee Assistance Program
The EAP is a confidential assessment, counseling, and referral service provided free of charge to all employees who may need help in the following area: marital and family issues; alcohol/drug dependency, stress related issues; financial difficulties; emotional problems; and legal questions.
Sick Leave
All professional and support staff are entitled to one day of sick leave per month, with full pay, for each month they work during their annual contract period.
Sick Leave Bank
All full time professional and support staff members are eligible to join a Sick Leave Bank which allows participants who have used up all their sick leave to borrow up to 15 days against days that they will be earning in the future. In the case of catastrophic illness, any member may donate up to 30 days of accumulated leave to any other member who has used up all sick leave because of catastrophic illness.
Personal Leave
All professional and support staff are eligible for three days of personal leave with full pay for each annual contract period. After 15 years of service with the Mountain Brook Board of Education, another personal day is awarded making a total of four personal days (noncumulative).
No personal leave is granted for the ten-day period beginning with Institute Day or for the last ten days of school, except in emergencies.
"Cafeteria Plan"
Deferred compensation plans
403B - Under this plan, employees may contribute as much as $16,500 (2012) of pre-tax income to an annuity each year. The contribution is automatically deducted from their paychecks.
By investing money in this way before taxes are paid, employees can reduce their current income tax burden. It is permissible to transfer accumulated funds, with no dollar limit, to other qualified IRA annuity plans.
Once such an investment is made, the interest or dividends earned are only taxed as funds are withdrawn. Since the withdrawals are usually made after retirement when the participant is likely to be in a lower tax bracket, less tax is paid and funds accumulate faster.
There are currently over 25 such investment options through four agencies: NEA, VALIC, Lincoln Life, or American Fidelity.
RSA-1 - Using this plan, employees may elect to delay receiving a portion of their salary (may not exceed--if more than one 457 plan, combined deferrals must not exceed--$16,500 (2012) or $22,000 (2012) for employees age 50 or over) until some later determined date, usually after retirement.
The deferred income, which accumulates interest in a special fund, is not subject to federal income tax until distributed to the employee.
RSA-1 funds will be invested in the same type of investments and are subject to the same guidelines and limitations as applicable to investments made by the Teacher Retirement System.
