Employee Contract Negotiation Summaries SY 2025-26

Administrative interns are classified as members of Unit 1.

Clarification added to include librarians/media specialists as members of Unit 1.

Added definition of “business days”.

Language added recognizing the board’s responsibility to implement non-negotiable portions of the Blueprint for Maryland’s future.

Agreement that negotiations for successor agreements will begin no later than October 15 unless mutual agreement for a different date is reached.

Language changes to clarify that an association president’s term of office is a “release position” rather than a “leave of absence”.

Notification to the association of employees placed on a leave of absence, resulting in an unpaid status, is to be made within 15 business days.

Language added regarding the cost of substitute coverage for Unit 1 members participating in the CCPS/EACC negotiations process.

Language added to clarify that the term “science teachers”, who are not limited to 7 schools of interest when making a transfer request, applies only to “elementary science teachers”.

Agreement that voluntary transfer requests will apply to vacancies identified by July 1 (previously July 15).

Language added to clarify the voluntary reassignment request process for Unit 2 members.

Agreement that the attendance of school- based employees at after-hours
events/programs (other than Open House and faculty meetings) is voluntary.

Creation of a CCPS/EACC workgroup led by the Office of Teaching and Learning to define the duties 
and responsibilities of a “Lead Teacher” position as outlined in the Blueprint for Maryland’s future.

Clarification of working schedules for 12- month Infant and Toddler teachers based at the Gwynn Center.

Agreement on the per diem pay rate for educators who attend New Educator Orientation.

Agreement that with the approval of their immediate supervisor, 12-month Unit 2 employees may telework on days when schools are closed for students due to inclement weather.

Agreement that middle and high school teachers will normally be provided a self-directed planning period of at least 45 minutes during the student day.

Planning language for Virtual Academy
teachers was updated. 240 minutes per week is no longer required to be provided in daily increments of at least 45-minutes.

Language added requiring administrators to collaborate with educators in specialized programs to ensure that coverage schedules are in place to ensure that special program educators and staff receive daily planning and lunch.

Early dismissal planning language updated to reflect that on six (6) designated early dismissal days teachers will be provided with 2 hours of self-directed planning. On the remaining four (4) designated early dismissal days, the first hour of time will be allocated to structured collaborative planning time and the remaining hour will be allocated to teacher self-directed planning.

Language added detailing how time is allocated on specific in-service days.

Agreement that a lesson plan template approved by the Office of Teaching and Learning will be available on the CCPS network for teacher use and that if a specific template is required for use by a school, it will be the CCPS-approved template. Schools may modify this template by adding no more than one (1) lesson plan component that aligns with the school’s professional learning needs.

Added a definition of teacher “preparations” and clarified that when a teacher is required to teach more than 2 preparations, the school principal will make reasonable efforts to provide accommodations to account for expanded planning responsibilities.

When a special educator assumes the caseload responsibilities assigned to a vacant position, he/she will be paid $35 per day. This $35 will shared in an alternating cycle if these responsibilities are shared among multiple educators.

When certain Central Office employees are deployed to cover vacancies in addition to their regular job responsibilities, they will be assigned by the Office of Teaching and Learning and paid $56 per day of coverage provided at the additional site.

September 1 shall be an employee’s anniversary date for salary scale progression if the employee was hired by February 1 of a given year. Employees hired after Feb 1 shall have Feb. 1 of the following year as their anniversary date.

A contract year will include a regular schedule of pay periods, numbering between 20-27 pay dates, with pay occurring no fewer than twice per month.

For FY26 (beginning July 1, 2025):

A. All Unit 1 employees on the X scales will be moved to the next higher level on the corresponding regular scale prior to the negotiated level increase implementation. The X scales will be removed entirely effective FY26 moving forward.
B. All Unit 1 and Unit 2 employees will receive one pay level advancement for those eligible for a level advancement and a 1% COLA.
C. Employees in Unit 1, level 2, will receive a one-time $500 stipend. Employees in Unit 1, level 3, will receive a one-time $1000 stipend.
D. Level 11 will be added to the BS lane.
E. $5000 Athletic Director stipend will be removed from EPED and applied to base pay each year. This will count towards retirement.

Employees who meet the definition of a
teacher per the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future and achieve National Board Certification (NBC) will receive a $10,000 stipend. This will be added to base pay and count toward retirement. These educators will receive an additional $8000 stipend upon their first NBC maintenance of certification. They will receive a $4000 stipend for a second maintenance of certification, and a $2000 stipend for a third maintenance of certification. These additional stipends will be added to base pay and count towards retirement. When NBC is achieved or renewed mid-year, the stipend will be prorated for the remainder of the year and the full stipend will be implemented the following July 1.

Employees that earn NBC but do not meet the definition of a teacher per the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future will receive a $4500 stipend. This will be added to base pay and count towards retirement. When NBC is achieved or renewed mid-year, the stipend will be prorated for the remainder of the year and the full stipend will be implemented the following July 1. Maintenance of certification stipends do not apply to employees who do not meet the definition of a teacher.

Tuition reimbursement rates will be up to $3000 per employee per year through FY27.

The total district expenditure for tuition reimbursement will increase to $600,000 per year beginning in FY27.

Sick leave – Certificated employees receive one (1) day of sick leave per month (based on length of employment contract). To recognize longevity, one (1) additional day will be added per contract year for employees who have between 11-20 years of continuous service with CCPS. Another one (1) additional day will be added per contract year for employees who have 21+ years of continuous service with CCPS.

Unit 2 Floating Leave – 11-month members will receive three (3) full days per year and 12- month members will receive five (5) full days per year.

Workers’ Compensation Leave – if approved, workers’ compensation leave will not be charged to an employee’s sick leave. Employees should submit all relevant forms and documentation within 10 business days so that leave can be reviewed, and claims can be processed efficiently.

The 2022 Danielson Framework for Teaching will be used to evaluate professional practice for teachers beginning July 1, 2025. Within this framework, CCPS will focus on fewer
components.

All certificated employees
• Student growth will not be used as an evaluation criteria for employees who are placed on administrated reassignment for 15% or more of the days that fall within the instructional interval aligned with their drafted SLOs.

Teacher Evaluation
• Professional Practice now accounts for 70% of the evaluation.
• Student growth (SLOs) now accounts for 30% of evaluation.
• Teachers will be required to create a professional development goal each year.
• Professional practice, SLOs, and overall evaluations will be scored on a 4-point scale.
• Teachers will be permitted to write a self-reflection to be used when meeting with their evaluator to discuss the results of their annual performance evaluation.

Retired/Rehired teachers – language was added to clarify the criteria used to determine when/how these employees are evaluated.

Other Unit 1 Employees
• A workgroup will be formed in FY26 to make evaluation recommendations for evaluation components that will apply to employees who are evaluated using a portfolio only.
• Speech Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, and Social Workers were added
to this group of employees.
• Professional practice portfolios, school SLOs, and overall evaluations will be scored on a 4-point scale.

Principals
• Best practice projects being used to evaluate professional practice will be selected in collaboration with the principal’s supervisor, documented using an approved format, and submitted following the CCPS/EACC evaluation timeline.
• Professional practice projects will account for 70% of the evaluation (23.33% each) and will be evaluated using the Maryland PSEL Rubric.
• Student growth (school SLOs) will
account for 30% of the evaluation (15% each) and will be evaluated using a rubric that follows a 4-point scale.
• Final evaluation ratings will be determined using a 4-point scale.

Assistant Principals/Administrative Interns
• The best practice project being used to evaluate professional practice will be selected in collaboration with the employee’s supervisor, documented using an approved format, and submitted following the CCPS/EACC evaluation timeline.
• Professional practice will account for 70% of the evaluation as follows:
     o One (1) best practice project (35%) evaluated using the Maryland PSEL Rubric.
     o Ten (10) priority initiatives (35% evaluated using a 4-point
rubric).
• Student growth (school SLOs) will
account for 30% of the evaluation (15% each) and will be evaluated using a rubric that follows a 4-point scale.
• Final evaluation ratings will be determined using a 4-point scale.

A workgroup will be formed to recommend updates to the principal, assistant principal, and administrative intern evaluation processes. The resulting recommendations will be considered by the negotiating teams for possible inclusion in the FY27 contract.

Other Unit 2 Employees
• Evaluations will be completed using the A&S Evaluation Form and will be
based on progress toward achievement of established goals and objectives and consideration of an employee’s organizational, job-related, human relations, and communications skills as well as professional growth and
accountability.
• The evaluation process will involve 3 meetings: beginning of the year, mid- year review, and end of year conference.

This contract will be in effect from July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2027, subject to funding for salary agreements.

Specific provision is made for openers related to the work of committees outlined in the agreement and other topics aligned with the Blueprint Implementation timeline.