The Superintendent shall be the chief executive officer of the Board of Directors in the administration of the school system. The Superintendent shall be directly responsible to the Board of Directors for the execution of its policies and for the enforcement of all provisions of the law relating to the operation of the schools. The Superintendent shall be the Board's chief policy advisor, the staff's education leader, and the student's advocate.
The Board of Directors shall carefully consider the recommendation of the Superintendent prior to making policy decisions.
Legal Reference: Code of Iowa Chapter 279.20
Date of Adoption: January 21, 1969 :
Revised: February 1980
July 1980
November 10, 1992
September 23, 1997
The superintendent shall be the executive officer of the Board and shall have such powers and duties as prescribed by the rules of the Board and/or by law.
Specific functions of the superintendent shall include but not be limited to:
1. The superintendent is the chief consultant and advisor to the Board on all matters concerning the school district.
2. The superintendent is the executive officer of the Board and is responsible to execute policies and decisions reached by the Board.
3. The superintendent is an educational leader within the community and is responsible for informing the public about the activities, achievements, needs, and direction of the school district.
4. The superintendent shall be responsible for involving the broader community in planning for the future of the district. Progress reports related to these plans will be made regularly to the Board and the community.
Legal Reference: Code of Iowa 279.20
Date of Adoption: January 21, 1969
Revised: January 12, 1976
June 24, 1980
February 8, 1994
September 23, 1997
The Board of Directors may employ a superintendent for a term not to exceed three years. The Board will consider any modification of the superintendent's contract at the first regular meeting in February. Extension of the superintendent's contract shall be considered at least six months prior to its expiration.
Legal Reference: Code of Iowa Chapter 279.20 279.23
Date of Adoption: January 21, 1969
Revised: December 10, 1974
February 1980
June 24, 1980
November 10, 1992
September 23, 1997
The Board shall conduct an ongoing evaluation of the superintendent’s skills, performance, abilities, and competence. The Board shall formally evaluate the superintendent on an annual basis. The goal of the superintendent’s formal evaluation is to ensure that the education program for the students is carried out, to promote growth in effective administrative leadership, to clarify the superintendent’s role,to clarify the immediate priorities of the Board, and to develop, and maintain a working relationship between the Board and the superintendent.
The formal evaluation shall be based upon the following principles:
The evaluation criteria shall be in writing, clearly stated and mutually agreed upon by the Board and the superintendent. The criteria shall be related to the job description and the school district’s goals;
The formal evaluation process will be conducted annually at a time agreed upon;
Each Board member shall evaluate the superintendent, and these individual evaluations will be compiled into an overall evaluation by the entire Board;
The superintendent shall conduct a self-evaluation prior to discussing
the Board’s evaluation, and the Board as a whole shall
discuss the superintendent’s self evaluation and its evaluation with
the superintendent;
The Board may discuss its evaluation of the superintendent in closed session if requested by the superintendent and, if the Board determines its discussion in open session will needlessly and irreparably injure the superintendent’s reputation; and,
The individual evaluation by the each Board member, if individual Board members so desire, will not be reviewed by the superintendent.
Board members are encouraged to communicate their criticisms and concerns to the superintendent in closed session. The Board president shall develop a written summary of the individual evaluations, including both the strengths and the weaknesses of the superintendent, and place it in the superintendent’s personnel file to be incorporated into the next cycle of evaluations.
This policy supports and does not preclude the ongoing, informal evaluation of the superintendent’s skills, abilities and competence.
Legal Reference: Wedergren v. Board of Directors, 307 N.W.2d 12 (Iowa 1981). Code of Iowa 279.20, 23, 23A (1997) 281 I.A.C. 12.3(4)
Date of Adoption: December 14, 1976
Revised: June 24, 1980
September 10, 1984
October 14, 1986
November 11, 1997
The administrative personnel, authority, and services that are concerned with the district as a whole or with one or more of its major divisions of service shall be known and referred to as the central administration of the district.
The central administration shall include the superintendent, the general administrative staff, together with such technical, secretarial and clerical assistants as may be employed to assist the central administrative staff.
The function of the central administration shall be to plan for and to support, coordinate, supervise, direct, and evaluate the district as a unified enterprise in accordance with the purposes, policies, plans, procedures, and programs authorized by the Board of Directors.
Date of Adoption: January 21, 1969
Revised: February 1980
June 24, 1980
November 10, 1992
September 23, 1997
Building administrators in the district shall be responsible for providing the educational leadership and management of resources necessary for the effective and efficient operation of the school assigned. Building administrators will be held accountable for implementation of the district’s educational goals and programs at their respective schools.
Date of Adoption: July 1980
Revised: November 10, 1992
September 23, 1997
The superintendent shall recommend to the Board of Directors the assignment and/or transfer of all building administrators.
Date of Adoption: July 1980
Revised: November 10, 1992
September 23, 1997
The Board of Directors shall provide a procedure whereby complaints and grievances of building administrators or their assistant may be resolved.
Such a procedure will insure that alleged violations, misinterpretations or misapplication of the conditions of employment may be heard and acted upon at the lowest level of administrative responsibility while at the same time providing a structure whereby unresolved grievances may be brought to the attention of the Board for final disposition.
The following procedures will be utilized in resolving complaints and conflicts:
Step One
An attempt shall be made to resolve any grievance through informal discussion between the grievant and his/her immediate superior.
Step Two
If the grievance cannot be resolved informally, the aggrieved employee may file the grievance in writing, and at a mutually agreeable time, discuss the matter with an associate superintendent. The written grievance shall state the nature of the complaint and the remedy requested. The filing of the written grievance, as the second step, must be within ten (10) contract days from the date of the event giving rise to the grievance. The associate superintendent shall meet with the grievant, make a decision on the grievance, and communicate it in writing to the grievant and the superintendent within ten (10) contract days after receipt of the written notice of the grievance.
Step Three
If the grievance has not been satisfactorily resolved at the second step, the aggrieved employee may file, within five (5) contract days of the associate superintendent's written decision at the second step, a copy of the grievance with the superintendent. Within ten (10) contract days after such written grievance is filed, the aggrieved employee and the superintendent shall meet at a mutually convenient time to resolve the grievance. The superintendent shall file a response within ten (10) contract days of the third step grievance meeting and communicate the response in writing to the aggrieved employee and the Board of Directors.
Step Four
If the grievance is not resolved satisfactorily at the third step, there shall be available a fourth and final step. The Board of Directors at its next regular meeting from the date of the formal grievance is filed with the Board, shall meet with the aggrieved employee. Disposition of the grievance shall be made in writing by the president of the Board not later than seven (7) days after said meeting with the aggrieved employee.
The failure of an employee to act on any grievance within the prescribed time limits will act as a bar to any further appeal. The investigation or other handling or processing of any grievance by the grieving employee shall be conducted so as to result in no interference with or interruption whatsoever of the work activities of the grieving employee unless mutually agreed upon in writing that it is necessary to process the grievance during the workday.
The grievant may have representation at each step of the grievance procedure.
Date of Adoption: June 24, 1980
Revised: March 10, 1998
The continued growth and development of administrative personnel represents an essential element of an effective school system. Therefore, the Iowa City Community School District supports activities and programs designed to assist administrators and selected staff members in further developing their professional skills.
Resources made available for such staff development activities will be allotted using these criteria:
1. Activities that constitute a response to district and building
goals or priorities.
2. Activities that are supported by research as enhancing the
quality of the learning experience provided for students.
3. Activities specifically designed for the purpose of increasing
the knowledge or skill level of the school administrator.
4. Activities specifically designed for the purpose of preparing
staff members interested in careers in school administration.
Date of Adoption: November 25, 1986
Revised: November 10, 1992
September 23, 1997
The Board of Directors recognizes and encourages professional growth experiences for administrative staff such as workshops, conferences, accreditation activities, college/university graduate credit in the field of education and other professional development opportunities.
Administrators seeking to participate in professional growth activities which occur when the administrator is required to be on duty must obtain prior approval. This approval must be obtained from the Superintendent in the case of Central Office administrators and from either the Superintendent or designee for all other administrators.
Date of Adoption: November 9, 1976
Revised: June 24, 1980
March 10, 1998
Research has consistently pointed to the importance of effective leadership from building level administrators in creating schools of high quality. Central office administrators have a similar impact on districtwide programs. A key element in maintaining high expectations and improving performance is a systematic, formal, evaluation process.
The superintendent is responsible for the development of procedures and evaluation items to facilitate formative and summative evaluation of building level and central office administrators.
Date of Adoption: December 16, 1986
Revised: February 8, 1994
September 23, 1997
When in the sole, exclusive, and final judgment of the Board, reduction in administrative staff is necessary, the superintendent on behalf of the Board, shall attempt to accomplish the same by attrition.
In the event reduction in force cannot be adequately accomplished by attrition, the decision to further reduce the administrative staff will be based on the following:
a. The needs of the district as judged by the superintendent.
b. The relative skills, ability, competencies, and qualifications of
available administrators as judged by the superintendent.
In the event two or more administrators are judged by the superintendent to be approximately equal in skills, ability, competency, and qualifications, then continuous employment in the district shall be the deciding factor.
An administrator to be affected by reduction shall be notified in accordance with Chapter 279.24 of the Code of Iowa.
Date of Adoption: June 24, 1980
Revised: November 10, 1992
September 23, 1997
The Iowa City Community School District will provide a supplemental benefit of early retirement for those certified staff members and administrators who:
1. wish to retire voluntarily from service in the Iowa City Community School District and submit written notification of such by March 1 of the last complete school year in which he/she is employed by the district
2. have accumulated twenty years of employment with the Iowa City Community School District as a certified staff member or administrator
3. have been actively employed during the entire school year in which the early retirement benefits request is made
4. are eligible for the receipt of IPERS retirement benefits or allowance pursuant to Chapter 97B of the Code of Iowa
5. are between the ages of 59 55 and 65 as of June 30th of the last school year in which he/she is employed for the entire contract year by district
6. are deemed eligible for the benefit by the Iowa City Community School District Board of Directors
The benefits offered to certified staff members and administrators shall be either:
Option A: 70% of current years salary based on average FTE (full time equivalence) status for the past 10 years.
Option B: 50% of current years salary based on average FTE (full time equivalence) status for the past 10 years plus the district paying the single premium for the district's group health insurance program until age 65 for retirees that are 59 or older. For retirees under age 59, the retiree will be responsible for paying his/her health insurance premium to the district until he/she reaches age 59 at which time the district will pay the premium directly until age 65.
An employee who elects to participate in this program and is awarded benefits of the program by the Board of Directors will become retired and will be entitled to all rights and privileges as prescribed in applicable state and federal laws and district policies.
If the retiree has been participating in the health and dental insurance program prior to retirement, the retiree may continue to participate in the district health and dental insurance program until age 65 subject to carrier contract requirements and payment of all premiums.
The Board of Directors reserves the right to limit the number of early retirements.
Application materials shall be submitted to the Office of Human Resources.
The early retirement lump sum payment will be available at the employee's discretion either in October or April or one-half in October and one-half in April in the fiscal year the early retirement begins. The employee must provide evidence of application to IPERS for benefits prior to receiving payment from the district.
Legal Reference: Chapter 279.46 Code of Iowa
Date of Adoption: 12/13/94
Revised: September 23, 1997
April 28, 1998