Any layoff in teaching staff shall conform to this article and federal and state laws and regulations and court orders.

Section A The following procedures shall apply to layoff:

1. The Superintendent/designee will meet with representatives of the Association to discuss the need for the layoff and the approximate number of possible positions prior to the individual personnel agenda notification to the Board.
2. The Employer shall suspend the contracts of the least senior teachers in the teaching fields affected by the reduction when the reason is decreased enrollment of pupils.
3. The contract of a teacher employee on continuing contract shall not be suspended until all contracts of teacher employees on limited contracts in fields affected by the layoff have been suspended. No less senior person shall be allowed to remain in a teaching position for which a more senior person is subject to layoff. The less senior person shall have certification restricted for use in this District until all more senior employees in the certification area have been recalled.

Section B - The assignments of employees whose contracts are not suspended shall be restricted to teaching fields in which the reduction is not sufficient to cause suspension of their contracts except for a minor portion of their duty time or for good cause.

Section C - Employees on layoff shall have the right of recall in order of seniority to vacant positions in the representation unit for which they are qualified or become qualified before these positions are staffed by new applicants. Continuing contract teacher employees shall be recalled prior to limited contract teacher employees.

Section D - Employees on layoff: (1) will initially be offered recall to any assignment for which they are certificated (fulfills legal obligations and removes from unemployment), (2) will be allowed to decline recall to assignment outside their professional frame of reference which they have previously designated, and (3) will, after the first contact, be offered recall only to assignments within their professional frame of reference.

Section E - Employees on layoff shall have the option at their expense to remain active participants in all Employer and State paid insurance benefit programs to the extent they are available to the employees from the carriers.

Section F - Employees on layoff may apply for employment as substitute teachers and shall be given preference before other substitute teacher applicants are employed.

Section G - Employees will be credited with unused accumulated sick leave and placed on the proper rank and step of the salary schedule upon return to active employment. They will not receive salary increment credit for non active employment time nor will such time count toward acquiring continuing contract status.

Section H - The Employer will provide to the Association upon request the employees' names, certification if in the computers, seniority dates and work locations for all employees with less seniority than the most senior employees affected by the layoff.

Section I - The Parties agree that every reasonable effort shall be made to acquire and use the most current data and information to establish accurate staffing projections as soon as possible for making layoff decisions in order to avoid retaining less senior employees during layoff.