1. Certified Employees
1.1 Credit hours earned to qualify for a certified employee lane change must be graduate/upper division credit. (Graduate courses are assumed to be those identified as # 5000 (or in some cases 500) classes or above by colleges and universities).
1.2 Any exception must be:
1.2.1 directly related to the employee's assignment, i.e. completion of a required endorsement and have prior written approval from the employee’s principal and superintendent or designee, or
1.2.2 selected courses sponsored by Sevier School District, which have prior written approval from the superintendent or designee.
1.2.3 this exception does not apply to new employees that accept a teaching position requiring them to complete an endorsement to be qualified for the position they will be teaching.
1.3 Credit hours earned for lane change purposes must be earned after the educator has been awarded a teaching certificate.
1.4 Credit hours earned for lane changes beyond the masters degree must be earned after the educator has been awarded the masters degree.
1.5 Credit hours must be posted on an official transcript with an award date prior to the start of the contract year in which the employee is seeking a lane change.
1.6 Employees who plan to change salary lanes must submit a letter of request for the lane change on or before May 15 for the change to take place the following contract year. Evidence of qualification for the new lane change must be submitted before January 15 of the contract year. The salary increase associated to the lane change will not be added to the employee’s payroll until all evidence of qualification is submitted to the District payroll clerk and verified. The full salary increase associated with the lane change will be retroactive for the year the lane change is awarded. If evidence of qualification is not submitted and verified by the due date, then the lane change will not be awarded for the current contract year and must be resubmitted for the following year. It is the responsibility of the employee seeking the lane change to insure that their transcripts are current and up to date and that new credits being reported are eligible to be counted according to this policy and will qualify them for the lane change prior to submitting a letter of request for a lane change.
1.7 State recertification credits that are not earned through a college/university or audited classes where no credit is earned will not apply toward lane changes.
2. Instructional Assistants
2.1 Credit hours earned to qualify for an instructional assistant's lane change must be approved education courses offered by an accredited school of education.
2.2 Credit hours must be earned prior to the start of the contract year in which the employee is seeking a lane change.
2.3 Employees who plan to change salary lanes must submit a letter of request for the lane change on or before May 15 for the change to take place the following contract year. Evidence of qualification for the new lane change must be submitted before January 15 of the contract year. The salary increase associated to the lane change will not be added to the employee’s payroll until all evidence of qualification is submitted to the District payroll clerk and verified. The full salary increase associated with the lane change will be retroactive for the year the lane change is awarded. If evidence of qualification is not submitted and verified by the due date, then the lane change will not be awarded for the current contract year and must be resubmitted for the following year. It is the responsibility of the employee seeking the lane change to insure that their transcripts are current and up to date and that new credits being reported are eligible to be counted according to this policy and will qualify them for the lane change prior to submitting a letter of request for a lane change.
Revised 08/10/89
Revised 05/19/94
Revised 01/04/96
Revised 09/14/99
Revised 09/10/02
Revised 05/23/07
Revised 08/09/17
Revised 11/07/18
Revised 03/13/24