Policy 4351.1 – Teaching Load and Non-Instructional Time

The teaching load for elementary and secondary teachers will be established in accordance with sound educational practices to ensure every student receives a high-quality education. The teaching load may be modified for specialized programs or where other special considerations are present.

Non-instructional time refers to portions of a teacher’s workday in which teachers do not provide direct instruction for students yet engage in non-instructional teaching responsibilities. Non-instructional time for teachers is important for planning and collaborating. Therefore, it is expected that building principals will identify regularly scheduled non-instructional time for all teaching staff. Given the variance in building programs, the time may not be exact from building to building. Principals will provide teachers with no less than 330 minutes of non-instructional time per five-day work week.* When duties must be assigned during non-instructional time, principals may solicit volunteers and distribute teaching assignments among all classroom teaching staff, utilizing an equitable system. In certain instances, teachers will be compensated at the Kenosha Unified School Board-approved rate for substituting one instructional period per day.

Non-instructional time for deans, counselors, social workers, related service providers, culture coaches, instructional coaches, and other non-special education teaching positions with specialized, programmatic, or student-support responsibilities is generally intermittent and may occur at varying times throughout the day or week due to the nature of their roles/jobs.

*Choice school non-instructional time may vary due to unique schedules.

CROSS REF.:

ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS: None

AFFIRMED: September 24, 1991

REVISED:

  • June 2, 2000
  • January 29, 2002
  • March 28, 2017
  • April 28, 2026

Rule 4351.1 – Guidelines for Teaching Load and Non-Instructional Time

Non-instructional time refers to portions of a teacher’s workday in which teachers do not provide direct instruction for students yet engage in non-instructional teaching responsibilities. The following are examples of work that teachers may be engaged in, but not limited to, during non-instructional time to create and maintain a robust academic environment:

  • Preparing lessons
  • Grading
  • Supervision of bus activity/recess/lunch/hallway (not to be included in 330 minutes per 5-day week)
  • IEP, 504, Tier 3 meetings
  • Developing health/safety plans
  • Statutory requirements (e.g., Act 20)
  • Parent/guardian and student communications
  • Team collaboration
  • Professional learning
  • Data analysis
  • Meetings within the educator effectiveness system

Teachers are to remain in the building during non-instructional time unless they have approval to leave campus from their building administrator. Below are the time allotments for each educational level that the District aspires to provide.

Teacher Non-Instructional Time

  1. Middle and High School Teachers
    1. Secondary classroom teachers and special education teachers will follow the instructional schedule established by their building, with the goal of two non-instructional periods during the instructional day (generally understood to be one professional period and one independently led preparation period). Due to the unique instructional and supervision needs of self-contained special education classrooms, teachers in these settings may not follow the two non-instructional period model; however, they will be provided with clearly defined and protected preparation time during the instructional day to ensure equitable planning opportunities.
    2. In addition to instructional periods, teachers may be assigned other responsibilities and/or general supervisory duties.
    3. A loss of non-instructional time may occur due to rescheduling necessitated by the building’s operational needs. Principals will provide teachers with no less than 330 minutes of non-instructional time per five-day work week*; however, the needs of the students take priority.

      *Choice school non-instructional time may vary due to unique schedules.

  2. Elementary School Teachers
    1. Elementary classroom and special education teachers shall be responsible for the elementary instructional program in accordance with the established elementary curriculum.
    2. Elementary specialists in art, music, physical education and library shall provide instruction in those areas in accordance with the scheduling guidelines set forth in Policy 6310 as approved by the School Board.
    3. Elementary classroom teacher non-instructional time is during the time when the art, music, physical education, and library teacher is instructing the class.
    4. If the special area teacher is not available, the elementary classroom teacher may instruct the class in art, music, physical education, or library lessons. Teachers assigned to cover this absence will be compensated at the board-approved rate on the Non-FTE Wage Scale, In-House Teacher Sub for substituting one class period.
    5. Administration will provide teachers with no less than 330 minutes of non-instructional time per five-day work week; however, the needs of the students take priority. Elementary classroom teachers, specialist teachers and special education teachers shall generally be scheduled a minimum of 180 minutes of non-instructional time per 5-day week.* Additional non-instructional time, beyond the scheduled 180 minutes, can be provided before or after school and during Friday early release. The Friday early release time includes 60 minutes of building-directed and 90 minutes of independently led non-instructional time.
    6. A loss of non-instructional time may occur due to rescheduling necessitated by the building’s operational needs.
    7. On each of the two designated Parent-Teacher Conference Fridays, teachers will be provided with up to 90 minutes of building-led non-instructional time and up to 135 minutes of independently led non-instructional time.

      *Choice school non-instructional time may vary due to unique schedules.

Substitute Coverage

The District believes in a fair, transparent, and predictable in-house subbing practice.  Availability of substitute teachers is the major factor in the ability to provide non-instructional time. The following procedures will be utilized to ensure the equitable distribution of non-instructional time. Each school will establish a process for recording and processing teacher payment.

Middle and High School

Administration will create, maintain and make available a schedule to cover unfilled classrooms during non-instructional periods. Volunteers will be identified and utilized first. Care will be taken to balance the number of teachers on the substitute rotation lists, recognizing that fewer teachers may be available during certain periods. Teachers assigned to provide in-house substitute coverage will be compensated at the Board-approved rate on the Non-FTE Wage Scale, (In-House Teacher Sub) for substituting one instructional period. Every effort will be made to include all teaching positions on the substitute rotation schedule; however, it may not be practical to include all positions (e.g. counselors, deans, LMTs). These positions will be utilized as their individual schedules permit.

Elementary School

At the elementary level, an unfilled teaching position may result in the cancellation of specials (e.g., art, music, physical education, library), leading to a loss of non-instructional time. Teachers assigned to cover the absence of art, music, physical education, or library will be compensated at the Board-approved rate on the Non-FTE Wage Scale, (In-House Teacher Sub) for substituting one instructional period.

Principals will develop a contingency plan to appropriately cover unfilled teaching positions. This may include rotating coverage or splitting classes. When classes are split, best effort will be made to ensure students remain with same-grade-level peers and receive appropriate supervision.

Administrative Meetings

Administration may schedule meetings with individual teachers or groups as needed. Meeting agendas may be developed by the administration in collaboration with school teams to ensure alignment with the District and School Improvement Plans, school priorities, and general operational needs.  Building administrators may schedule up to two staff meetings per month outside of the workday.  Efforts will be made to limit the length of the meetings to one hour.

Attendance at these meetings is mandatory unless a teacher has received prior approval from administration to be absent. Teachers who are absent are responsible for becoming informed of the meeting content. Unless preapproved, teachers are expected to remain until the meeting concludes.

End of Quarter Staff Workdays

End-of-quarter staff workdays are designated for the purpose of progress and grade reporting as well as independently led non-instructional time. Every effort will be made to avoid scheduling mandatory training for teachers on staff workdays.