A. Documentation:

1. Training and Experience: It shall be the sole responsibility of a licensed staff member to obtain all official documentation required to substantiate a petition for allowable training and experience on the salary placement schedule.
2. Health Certificates: All employees and service providers must provide the Office of Human Resources with a current health certificate as required by Section 22-10A-34 NMSA 1978, dated no more than ninety (90) days prior to beginning work, and all other information required by law or board policy.
3. Forfeiture of Right to Compensation: In accordance with Section 22-10A-3C, NMSA 1978, a person performing the duties of a licensed school employee, other than a practice teacher as defined by rules of the Public Education Department, “who does not hold a valid license or has not submitted a complete application for licensure or certification within the first three (3) months from beginning employment duties shall not be compensated thereafter for services rendered until he demonstrates that he holds a valid license or certificate.” Employees who have not provided evidence of licensure or a completed application within three (3) months shall not be paid salary or accrue leave or other benefits during the period of non-compliance. The District reserves the right to cancel such employee’s contract and terminate such employee.

B. Salary Schedules: Personnel shall be paid for each contract year in accordance with verified training and experience earned as of the first day of school of the same academic school year. Such allowable training and experience shall be used to place the staff member on the district’s salary schedule.

1. Salary increases for teachers and librarians who are granted a higher level of licensure after commencement of a school year shall be made retroactive to the beginning of that school year only if the employee’s application and required documentation are received by the PED Licensure Unit no later than September 30th of that school year. Employees whose applications and documents are received by the PED Licensure Unit after September 30th of a school year will receive a salary adjustment reflecting a higher level of licensure beginning the next school year.
2. Teachers and librarians hired after the first day of school and who submit their application and required documents to the PED Licensure Unit within six weeks (42 calendar days) from the start date on the employee’s contract shall be placed on a higher salary level retroactive to the start date of their contract. Employees whose applications and required documents are not received by the PED Licensure Unit by the end of the 42nd day shall not be placed on a higher salary schedule until the following school year.

C. Deadline for Transcripts and Verifications of Previous Employment: Employees who earned training and experience prior to the first day of the current school year shall provide the Human Resources Director with official transcripts and verifications of employment prior to September 30th of the current school year in order to receive salary credit of that school year. Employees hired after the first day of the school year shall be granted six weeks (42 calendar days) starting from the date of their contract to provide official transcripts and employment verification. Employees who fail to provide official transcripts and employment verifications by September 30th, or within six weeks (42 calendar days) for late hires, shall not receive salary credit until the following year.

D. Experience Allowance:
Except as otherwise required by the State Board of Education’s Order of Creation, licensed instructional personnel shall be allowed credit on the salary placement schedule for a maximum of fifteen (15) years of verified experience earned while employed by an educational institution approved by the New Mexico Public Education Department and earned while working as a licensed instructor in that same institution.

Non-instructional licensed personnel shall be allowed credit for verified professional non-instructional experience related to the current assignment upon approval of the Superintendent or his/her designee.

Experience increments will be granted as follows:

1. Full credit shall be granted for full-time equivalent years of experience in work-related fields to a maximum of fifteen (15) years. For purposes of experience credit on the salary schedule for instructional staff, partial years of experience (based on a school year calendar) will be awarded in accordance with the following schedule: 64 days or less taught in a school year = 0 credit
   65 to 134 days taught in a school year = one-half (.5) year credit 135 or more days taught in a school year = one (1) year credit Partial years may be combined for credit purposes. Credit for out-of-state experience will be based on full school calendar years relative to those states and credited in the same manner and percentages as above. Credit for experience in an instructionally-related position in a non-school setting shall be based on a full calendar year rather than the 182 days school calendar and shall be credited in the same manner and percentages as above. Credit for prior experience must be verified in writing by the prior employer.
2. Previous work performed as a substitute, as an intern (unless intern is fully licensed) or experience as a practice teacher before completion of a degree for licensure will not be accepted for credit as experience on the salary schedule.
3. Upon request, military credit for work experience related to instruction and approved by the Superintendent or designee may be given employees who have proper verification.
4. Educational retirees returning to work under 1978 NMSA 22-11-25.1 and 2 NMAC 82.5.15(A), who are hired by the Rio Rancho Public Schools will be treated as new employees and will not be granted experience credit beyond fifteen years.

E. Training/Preparation Allowance:

Licensed Instructional and Instructional Support Staff

Credit for training on the salary placement schedule shall commence with the conferral of the Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university, and such credit shall be B.A./B.S. + 0 on the salary schedule.

Only credit earned after conferral of the Bachelor’s Degree shall be allowed for placement beyond the Bachelor’s Degree on the salary schedule. Credit for placement on the salary schedule beyond the Bachelor’s Degree will be allowed for upper-division (300+) or graduate courses directly related to the individual’s current teaching assignment or licensure, or courses directly related to an advanced degree plan. For purposes of advancing on a salary schedule, employees shall obtain prior approval of courses from the principal/supervisor and Office of Human Resources.

No licensed instructional personnel or instructional support staff shall receive credit on the salary schedule beyond the B.A./B.S. + 45 without conferral of a Master’s Degree or Doctorate Degree from an accredited college or university. Advanced degrees must be in an academic discipline related to the subject being taught or in education. For example, a high school math teacher will not be approved to advance on the salary schedule by earning an advanced degree in theology or law, etc.). Credit for salary schedule placement beyond the Master’s Degree shall commence with the conferral of this degree. Such credit shall be M.A./M.S. + 0. Only credits earned after conferral of the Master’s Degree shall be allowed for placement beyond the Master’s Degree on the salary schedule.

Upon completion of the Master’s Degree, credit for placement on the salary schedule will be allowed for upper division or graduate courses directly related to the individual’s current teaching assignment or licensure or courses directly related to an advanced degree plan. Advanced degrees must be in an academic discipline related to the subject being taught or in education. (For example, a high school math teacher will not be approved to advance on the salary schedule by earning an advanced degree in theology or law, etc.)

For purposes of advancing on a salary schedule, employees shall obtain prior approval of courses from the Principal/Supervisor and Office of Human Resources.
Credit for approved courses shall be allowed as follows:

Standard semester hours: one (1) credit is allowed for each semester hour earned.
Quarter hours: two-thirds (2/3) credit is allowed for each one (1) quarter hour earned.

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) will not be accepted as credit for an individual’s advancement on the salary placement schedule. CEUs do not enhance a district’s T&E but are useful for an individual’s own personal growth.

Educational Assistants and Non-Licensed Staff

Training increments for licensed employees providing instructional support, such as Educational Assistants, and others not required to hold a Bachelor’s degree will be provided in accordance with the following criteria:

1. Fourteen (14) certificate hours of approved training shall be equated to one (1) university hour.
2. Certificate hours and university credits must have a direct relationship with the job requirements in the position held by the employee.
3. For purposes of credit for advanced placement on a salary schedule, all training and course work must be pre-approved by the site supervisor and the Director of Human Resources.
4. University credits that are part of a degree plan will apply if the degree plan (Associate of Arts, Bachelor of Arts, or Bachelor of Science) is on file and has been given prior approval.
5. All approved certificate and university credits will be recorded and maintained in the individual’s personnel file.
6. Certificate credit must be verified through official transcript or certificate of completion.
7. All university credit must be reported by official transcript.

F. Short-Term Contracts:

Personnel employed after the start of the school year will be placed on short-term contract for the period of time needed but no longer than the school year. Short-term contracts shall not be renewed.

G. Procedures from PED:
In cases where specific contract issues have not been herein addressed, and which are mandated by the Public Education Department procedures governing T & E, guidelines to be followed are those contained in the “Manual of Procedures for the Calculation of the Training and Experience Index” published by the Public Education Department.

Reference: School Board Policy 219

Rio Rancho Public Schools
Adopted: 1994
Adopted: August 14, 1995
Revised: December 13, 1999
Revised: May 15, 2006