502 Grievances

511 Employment

513 Employment Qualifications for Expatriate Certified Personnel

514 Expatriate Re-signing Allowance

515 Chinese Employee Salary Schedules & Benefits

517 Full Time Equivalent (FTE)

520 Staff Attendance

521 Transfers

523 Independent Music Teacher

527 Substitutes

530 New Staff Orientation

531 Contract Renewals

535 Volunteers

  

502 Grievances

A grievance exists if a student, parent, or employee feels that he/she has been wronged, by being subjected to any unjust act, policy, or procedure. The grievance can exist against the action of an employee, a student, the Board of Trustees, or any organization or committee of the school.

A person who has a grievance is to first privately approach the person or people whom the grievance is against and communicate the grievance verbally giving opportunity for positive dialogue.

If resolution is not reached, the person with the grievance, along with one or more witnesses, should set an opportune time with the person or people whom the grievance is against. During this meeting, a written statement of the grievance should be presented to the person or people whom the grievance is against, again giving opportunity for positive dialogue. A dated signed copy of the statement should be kept.

If resolution is still not reached, the person and the witnesses should approach the appropriate site administrator and share the grievance. A copy of the written statement is to be given to the administrator. The administrator will research the grievance, talk with all primary parties, and act upon the grievance in a timely manner. The administrator will document his/her decision. The administrator's decision will be reported to all parties involved.

If resolution is not reached at the site administrative level, the grievance may be taken to the Superintendent. A copy of the written statement and the site administrator's documentation is to be given to the Superintendent. The Superintendent will communicate with the administrator, act upon the grievance, document his/her decision, and report his decision to all parties involved.

If resolution is not reached at the Superintendent level, a grievance appeal may be taken to the Board of Trustees. In this event, a copy of the grievance and documentation would be presented to the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees Chair will determine if the grievance appeal will be heard at a special called meeting or at a regular meeting of the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees will act upon the grievance. All decisions of the Board of Trustees are final. All proceedings will be recorded by the Recording Secretary.

All parties have the right to legal counsel and have the right to call witnesses during formal grievance meetings (Formal Levels I - III).

SAC 9/96
Reference - Policy 3542 Personnel Grievance Procedure,
Policy 5470 Student Complaints and Grievances

511 Employment

Temporary Workers

The administrator shall be responsible for hiring needed temporary workers and for setting their salary levels and raises, according to the Temporary Worker Pay Scale and the following guidelines.

• Lunch room monitors and Non-teaching positions will be paid at the adult wage rate.
• Teacher substitute's wages will be calculated according to the actual teaching periods worked.
• Personal days and leave of absences will be granted in full day increments.
• Sick leave will be calculated in days or half days.

The administrator shall insure that adequate supervision is provided for temporary workers.

The temporary worker's supervisor shall be responsible for keeping track of the number of hours worked and requesting salary payment to the administrator. No parent will serve as the direct supervisor of his/her own child(ren).

In order to comply with Taiwan labor laws, all hourly paid temporary employees shall fall in one of the following categories: expatriate in Taiwan with a valid resident visa, student currently enrolled at Morrison Academy, or ROC citizen. Morrison alumni may be employed with currently enrolled student status for up to three months after graduation.

Twenty percent ROC income tax withholding is mandatory for temporary employees who plan to reside in Taiwan less than 180 days during the current calendar year, unless they have met 180 day residency requirement the previous tax year. When withholding is required, the cashier pays 80% of wages to the temporary employee and the System Accountant pools withholding in a monthly payment to the Tax Bureau.

Expatriate Personnel

The Superintendent, with the assistance of the Director of Human Services, will be responsible for recruiting full time employees for positions requiring English.  The Superintendent, after consulting with the site-level administrator, will make hiring decisions. All hiring decisions will be reported to the Board of Trustees.

Only the Board of Trustees has the authority to dismiss expatriate employees. Administrators will be responsible to follow proper due process procedures and provide documentation on all potential dismissals. The Superintendent should be kept informed by the site-level administrator regarding potential dismissals. The Superintendent will be responsible for making dismissal recommendations to the Board of Trustees.

It is the responsibility of the site-level administrator and Director of Human Services to insure that all employment decisions fall within the authorized FTE parameters established in the budget, procedures and job descriptions. Exceptions may be authorized by the Director of Human Services in consultation with the Director of Finance.

All contracted expatriate employees must have a valid ROC resident visa or be ROC citizens with dual citizenship.

ROC Citizen Personnel

The recruiting process for ROC Citizens includes advertising the opening, collecting application documents (i.e. references, medical tests background check, credentials), arranging interviews, and recommending a hiring level.The General Manager is responsible for recruiting contracted staff for positions not requiring English who are ROC citizens. The Director of Human Services is responsible for recruiting ROC citizen teachers and professional staff for positions requiring English language ability. 

The Administrator requests the Superintendent to issue a contract / agreement for the probationary period. A probationary contracted employee may be terminated at any time during the probationary contracted period if the Administrator determines that such termination will serve the best interests of the Academy. The Administrator's decision to terminate a probationary contracted employee during the probationary contracted period is final and may not be appealed.

Near the end of the probationary period, the Administrator makes a written recommendation to the Superintendent regarding offering a contract. Contracts are issued for one year or less, with the contract expiring at the end of the fiscal year.

Employment of Married Couples

When husband and wife both are employed at Morrison, their employment contracts must fit in one of the following categories.

• Both ROC citizen personnel
• One ROC citizen and one expatriate non-Head of Household personnel
• One expatriate Head of Household and one non-Head of Household expatriate personnel

When a school employee marries another school employee their benefits will be adjusted when their current employment contract(s) expires.

SAC11/09
Reference - Policies 3100s

513 Employment Qualifications for Expatriate Certified Personnel

The provisions of Policy #3110 for full-time, certified personnel will be applied to part-time teachers, with the exception that consideration will be given to individuals without a teaching certification, if there is other strong evidence that they have sufficient background, experience, and ability to fulfill the duties of the job for which they are being hired. An individual hired without the appropriate certification will be hired on a one-year basis, provided he/she continues to work toward certification.

SAC 11/08

Reference - Policy 3110 Qualifications For Employment

514 Expatriate Re-signing Allowance

This allowance would be prorated according to FTE of the two years employment prior to the re-signed contract. This allowance is not intended to cover the entire cost of travel. If the maximum allowance exceeds actual economy class airfare then the school will only reimburse the actual airfare (including taxes). This is a one time reimbursement per family unit. Allowances may be combined but the unused balance can not be used for another ticket. This allowance is considered a Morrison business expense for tax purposes. Therefore, boarding passes and an itinerary indicating the total cost must be submitted before receiving the allowance.  

SAC 4/08

515 Chinese Employee Salary Schedules & Benefits

The Chinese Employee salary schedules will be based upon the current Chinese Public School Salary Scale adjusted for actual days of employment according to the following chart.

SAC 4/05

Reference - None

517 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE)

The following criteria will be used in determining FTE:

* Responsibilities are assigned by the Principal and approved by the Director of Human Services.

Teaching periods are based on an eight period day, five day/week schedule. Part-time personnel's FTE will be prorated, based on actual hours or periods per day employed.

These are minimum requirements. Voluntary involvement in extra-curricular activities is encouraged and needed.

SAC 11/09

Reference - Policy 3521 Work Day

520 Staff Attendance

Attendance records of each member of the school staff are kept in the site office. This record indicates the reason for the absence (i.e. sickness, personal, bereavement, mission business, etc.). It also indicates approved overtime.

The Principal of each school reports all personal leave, sick leave, and other absences from the work place to the System Office at the end of each semester. On-going records of leaves/absences are kept in the Director of Finance office.

SAC 93
Reference - None

521 Transfers

Employees who want to transfer to a different campus should submit their request in writing to the Director of Human Services. If approved by the superintendent, the transferee will be placed on high cycle of professional assessment for the first year at the new school. 

Morrison-initiated transfers will be made only after the administration determines that the transfer is in the best interest of the students and the school. The administration will consult with the affected staff member in a timely manner. (See Procedure 755 Relocation Benefit.)

SAC 8/08

Reference - None

523 Independent Music Teachers

Independent music teachers are those who teach private music lessons to Morrison Academy students* by arrangement through the school. They are only recommended to parents by the school and/or approved to give their lessons in school facilities after consultation with the Campus Music Lesson Coordinator** who recommends approval to the administration.

Approved independent music teachers are not employees of, nor employed by, Morrison Academy for these tasks. The program, however, is considered to be school-authorized, and parents may be referred or recommended to them by the school office and/or staff members. The school may provide billing for independent music teachers.

The school may process expatriate independent music teachers work permits and visas. The school will be responsible for processing and paying the school's portion of Jyan Bau for expatriate independent music teachers whose work permit and visa have been processed by the school. The school will also be responsible for processing and paying the school's portion of national independent music teachers' Jyan Bau upon request.

School facility arrangements may be made for independent music teachers to use a practice room/area by the semester at specific times in order to give lessons. When school facilities are used, in order to coordinate facilities and have a knowledge of student involvement, the independent teacher is responsible to coordinate and schedule with the Campus Music Lesson Coordinator and keep him/her aware of any changes. Needed room keys are issued upon the Coordinator's approval.

No Room/Equipment Use Fee is charged the independent teacher or the family for this service. If there are extra costs to the school, the teacher will be made aware by the Campus Principal of these costs ahead of time. The Campus Principal will be responsible to see that the teacher is billed. (see Procedure 314-5610)

*May include home-schooled MKs, if space is available.

**The Campus Music Lesson Coordinator is the member of the music faculty at a specific campus who is identified by the Campus Principal to do this task.

SAC 10/00
Reference - Policy 5367 Music Lessons, Procedure 314-5610

527 Substitutes

When a substitute is required, the employee will notify their immediate supervisor as soon as possible, prior to the beginning of their absence.

The school will be responsible for  paying the substitute.

Principals will maintain a list of qualified, available substitutes for all positions under their jurisdiction.

Substitutes should have previous experience and skills necessary to accomplish the job to which they are assigned.

SAC 5/98
Reference - Policy 3525 Leaves and Absences

530 New Staff Orientation

In order to help new staff grow in their ability to live cross-culturally, Morrison requires new staff to attend a Pre-field Orientation (PFO) and participate in on-island orientation.

The Director of Human Services will assist the Principal and the Director of Boarding Services in planning and implementing the new staff on-island orientation for his/her new staff. This orientation will be held two weeks before school starts.

On-island orientation prior to the first day of classes needs to include the following elements:

• Time with personnel from System Services: (This will take around 6 hours).
• Multiple trips in the community designed to help them with shopping.
• Time in the community designed to begin to orientate them to the culture and neighborhood.
• Time in the community designed to build confidence in their own ability to handle things without experienced staff with them.
• The beginning of a required 10 session Survival Chinese language course.
• An orientation packet that includes the Encyclopedia of Living in Taiwan (provided by System Services), an English city map, name cards of frequented businesses as well as the school, a neighborhood map (if appropriate), Teacher Handbook, and any required reading determined by SAC.
• An opportunity for new staff to ask questions from a variety of returning staff.
• Accompanying spouses should attend culture related meetings.
• Child care would be provided.

SAC 5/09
Reference: Procedure 153 New Staff Expectations
 

531 Contract Renewals

The deadline for contract renewal for full-time expatriate staff will be December 1. The Superintendent may approve an extension until the first day after Christmas break.

Expatriate part-time contract and Chinese employee contract renewals will normally be in April.

SAC 11/09

Referebce - None

535 Volunteers

Morrison recognizes the value of community volunteers that assist with school programs. In order to provide a secure and collegial atmosphere within the school community, those wishing to volunteer for more than five hours need to register with the school and adhere to the guidelines in the volunteer handbook. The Principal has authority to restrict the activities in which a volunteer may participate.

SAC 5/06
Reference - Policy 3150