Per session
Throughout the school year, teachers apply for “per session” activities that are done either before or after school, on the weekend or holidays, or during the summer. If you apply for and are accepted for such an activity, you are paid at the per session rate listed in the contract. Selection for most per-session activities is based upon the individual criteria established in each posting, which appear on the DOE website. If the activity you desire is specifically listed in the contract, selection is based upon your meeting the posted qualifications and your seniority in the system.
See per session payroll calendar
Retention rights
Upon completing two consecutive years of satisfactory service in the same activity, you gain “retention rights,” giving you priority for hiring in future years in the same activity. To exercise your retention rights, you must indicate on the per-session application form (most per-session applications are filed online; some still require paper applications) that you have such rights and you must be applying for the same activity in the time frame specified in the posting. You can exercise your retention rights to only one activity each school year, although you can apply for more than one per-session activity during that time.
Number of sessions
As a matter of right, you can work up to 400 per-session hours (including school social workers, school psychologists and paraprofessionals) in one year (July 1 through June 30.) If you want to work more than 400 hours, you need to obtain a written waiver from the executive director of the Division of Human Resources.
There are certain high school extracurricular activities listed in the contract — athletic and non-athletic — that are paid based upon a maximum number of “sessions” allocated for each activity. A “session” is defined as two hours beyond the school day.
You should check the contract for the number of sessions for each activity you are interested in.
Sick time
Pedagogues accrue sick leave in the same per-session activity on the basis of one session per 20 consecutive sessions worked during the school year. During a per-session summer activity, pedagogues accrue one sick day for each month of service. If you don’t take a sick day in July, you can take two in August. One sick day for per-session summer activity can be self-treated, but the second day must have a doctor’s note. Paraprofessionals only accrue sick time for per-session work done over the summer. Their summer sick time accrues in the same manner as pedagogues.
Your unused per-session sick time is transferred to your regular sick bank. At the end of your per-session activity, the payroll secretary/timekeeper must fill out the Per Session Unused Sick Time Transfer Form to have the time transferred into your Cumulative Absence Reserve. The form is signed by you, the payroll secretary/timekeeper and the supervisor of the activity and is submitted to your payroll school. Make sure you obtain a copy of the form.
Like regular salary, per-session pay is now pensionable, as a result of a long legal battle that the UFT won.