INTERPRETATION |
Interpretation's Date: June 17, 2005 by superintendent Dr. David Stewart Section: V. Personnel SubSection: C. Service Personnel |
Interpretation |
June 17, 2005
Dear Dr. Law:
I am in receipt of your request for an opinion regarding autism mentors. The purpose of your request is to provide clarification regarding my earlier interpretation dated March 28, 2005. Thus, this interpretation should be read in conjunction with the interpretation of March 28, 2005. Specifically, you ask: When conducting a RIF [reduction in force] within the aide classification, how must a school district treat a multi-classified aide/autism mentor who, by virtue of her seniority, would be RIFed based upon her relative seniority as an aide?
You go on to explain:
The individual holding the aide/autism mentor position is currently providing services
to an autistic child and is fully utilizing her knowledge, skill and experience as an
autism mentor. The more senior aide is currently working as an "Itinerant Special
Education Classroom/Bus Aide." She has met all of the requirements to become
an aide/autism mentor . . . however, the more senior aide has, as of this date, never
held an autism mentor position.
West Virginia Code 18A-4-8(i)(14) defines "autism mentor" as: [P]ersonnel who work with autistic students and who meet standards and experience to be determined by the state board: Provided, That if any employee has held or holds an aide title and becomes employed as an autism mentor, the employee shall hold a multiclassification status that includes aide and autism mentor titles . . . (emphasis added) West Virginia Code §18A-8b(j) provides: If a county board is required to reduce the number of employees within a particular job classification, the employee with the least amount of seniority within that classification or grades of classification shall be properly released and employed in a different grade of that classification if there is a job vacancy: Provided, That if there is no job vacancy for employment within the classification or grades of classification, he or she shall be employed in any other job classification which he or she previously held with the county board if there is a vacancy and shall retain any seniority accrued in the job classification or grade of classification. Regarding seniority, West Virginia Code 18A-8-8b(d), provides, in pertinent part, Paraprofessional, autism mentor and braille or sign language specialist class titles shall be included in the same classification category as aides.
In the scenario you set forth, the Pocahontas County Board of Education must
reduce the number of aides it employs. The least senior aide subject to release has more
overall seniority than another employee currently working as an aide/autism mentor. It is
important to note that though the more senior aide in question has met all of the
requirements to become an aide/autism mentor, she has never been employed as an
autism mentor. Thus, she does not hold the multiclassification status of autism mentor.
W. Va. Code 18A-4-8b(a) states that "[a] county board shall make decisions affecting promotions and the filling of any service personnel positions of employment or jobs occurring throughout the school year that are to be performed by service personnel as provided in section eight of this article, on the basis of seniority, qualifications and evaluation of past service." W. Va. Code 18A-4-8b(b) goes on to explain that an applicant currently holding a class title shall be given first priority for promotions or filling vacancies in that classification category. If the least senior aide, who does not hold the aide/autism mentor classification, were to receive a promotion via the RIF process, then this statutory scheme would be thwarted.
This interpretation does not rob W. Va. Code 18A-4-8b(d) of meaning. An
aide/autism mentor will accrue seniority as an aide and as an autism mentor
simultaneously. If the county were to reduce aide/autism mentor positions, an individual
employed as an aide/autism mentor could displace a less senior aide. However, when
reading W. Va. Code 18A-4-8b as a whole, we must not allow paragraph (d) to completely
override paragraphs (a) and (b).
Hoping that I have been of service, I am
/s/
David Stewart
DS/hld
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