Consulting Teacher, Curriculum Leader, and Special Education roles provide a stipend and, in some cases, flexible scheduling including the option to spend half the day working as a teacher-leader, and the other half as a classroom teacher. The contract provides discretion to the district to create the job descriptions for these roles.

The 2007 contract created three developmental stages in a teaching career: Induction, Skillful Teaching, and Leadership in Teaching. Educators who achieve the “Lead Teacher” status are eligible for a variety of teacher leadership roles—such as consulting teacher, instructional specialist, or staff development teacher—which involve supporting other teachers with observation and feedback with the possibility of additional compensation. While the current contract no longer explicitly refers to the career lattice, it still refers to the roles throughout its professional development section.

Qualified teachers can become “Master” or “Model” teachers, take on additional responsibility, and receive significant additional compensation (ranging from $7.5K – $20K). Authority for creating selection criteria is delegated to a joint union-district committee, with final selection discretion given to the superintendent.

A tiered teacher leadership framework provides teachers the opportunity to take on additional responsibilities and compensates them for those activities, with stipends ranging from $1,000 to more than $18,000 depending on the nature of the role. Teachers must receive satisfactory evaluation scores to be eligible for these roles.

Teachers with particular evaluation and student growth scores may apply for a position on school-level “Teacher Leadership Cadres” and can focus on professional learning, mentoring and coaching, facilitation, or a special project and receive a stipend. The contract specifies that teachers who apply for these positions must have “demonstrated high levels of instructional skill, culturally responsive practices, [and] commitment to racial equity.”

Teachers are compensated based on their placement on a five-tier career ladder—Novice, Developing, Career, Advanced, and Master. Advancement from Novice through Developing and Career are all predicated on teachers’ performance on their annual evaluation. They must receive a “proficient” or “advanced” rating to move up to Advanced and Master as well, but additional criteria—some set by the contract and some left to the Superintendent’s discretion—apply as well. The contract stipulates that Advanced teachers are expected to serve as school-wide and Master teachers as district-wide models of excellence, but specific expectations and responsibilities are left to the Superintendent’s discretion.

Teachers in chronically underperforming schools with effective evaluation scores can apply to and participate in a selective four-year “Master Practitioner and Leader Pathway.” Upon completion, they are awarded the status of Master Practitioner and advance significantly on the salary schedule.

Teacher leaders at each school are elected annually and receive a stipend, with the amount determined by the principal. They design and implement the school’s annual continuous improvement plan and make decisions around things like the length of the workday, class size, curriculum, and professional learning.

Additionally, the contract establishes a five-tier career ladder—Provisional, Developing, Career, Advanced, and Master—through which teachers advance and receive higher compensation based on their evaluation scores. Teachers on the top tiers of the ladder are expected to serve as role models to newer teachers.

When one or more applicants meet the prescribed qualifications for a promotion, the most qualified applicant is awarded the position, with seniority only being a factor in tiebreaker situations.