MENTOR TEACHERS

A. The parties agree that mentoring is a valuable process providing professional development and educational growth for all parties involved.

B. A mentor educator shall be defined as a master educator as identified in Section 1526 of the School Code and shall perform the duties of a master educator as specified in the code.

C. Each educator for the first three (3) years in the classroom shall be assigned a mentor educator by the administration. The mentor educator shall be available to provide professional support, instruction and guidance. The purpose of the mentor assignment is to provide a peer who can offer assistance, resources and information in a non-threatening collegial fashion.

D. Mentor educators shall be assigned according to these standards:

1. Mentoring shall be voluntary.

2. The Administration shall provide the Association with a list of educators in need of mentoring.

3. Preference will be given to tenured bargaining unit educators.

4. The final decision shall be the responsibility of the building administrator.

E. The mentor/mentee relationship is confidential in nature.

F. Meetings between mentors and mentees regarding the mentee’s professional development and educational growth shall count toward the fifteen (15) day professional development requirement provided that meetings are at least fifteen (15) minutes.

G. Mentee educators may be released from regular teaching duties for the purpose of observing other classrooms. Release time will be granted at the discretion of the Assistant Superintendent of Instruction.