Over the summer I spent thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours completing course work to earn credits and developed numerous distance learning resources for the tumultuous year ahead. Due to the district office being closed to the public during the time of the pandemic, I mailed in my pre-approval form. HR claims to have not received the form, so my credits have been declined due to the pre-approval form. However, other teachers in the district who took the same courses were awarded credits, but the ITA and District are claiming they cannot break contract language so nothing can be done to rectify this situation. I want to make sure something like this does not happen to teachers in the future, so I am proposing a practical and logical solution to this problem.
Many other districts including LAUSD have a compiled list of pre-approved courses that teachers seeking to take courses for credits can easily access and view on the district website. These courses do not require a pre-approval form as they have already been approved for past teachers or educational institutions have sought out pre-approval status with the district. HR has all of these courses on file, and can easily compose this list for all IUSD teachers to view and utilize. It is redundant for the district to seek pre-approval forms for courses that have already been approved by HR. The process that is currently in place provides more hurdles for teachers seeking course credits and less transparency in the process.
Yet another benefit of having the pre-approved list of courses offered on the IUSD website, is that targeted online advertising can be done by institutions seeking to promote their classes. The district can use the money paid for online promotion to maintain and upkeep the pre-approved course list. Your support in signing this petition is greatly appreciated! The initiation of this new approval process, will help to ensure future teachers are not unjustly denied rightfully earned course credits. If you have had an experience with the district denying your credits, please contact me with your story at: Kellyorosz0@gmail.com.
