Staff Secondments to External Agencies

Objective

To provide clarity and consistency for Division processes associated with supporting staff secondments to external agencies.

Definitions

Secondments are opportunities for Division staff to work at external organizations to share their knowledge and expertise for a defined period of time. External organizations that offer secondment opportunities include, but are not limited to: Alberta Education, City of Edmonton, post-secondary institutions. Secondments are sometimes referred to as “interchange opportunities”. 

Term is the period of time defined by the secondment agreement.

Responsibility

Central administration with responsibility for Human Resources confirms the logistics of the secondment with the seconding organization, including costs associated with salary and benefits and contracted days of work. 

Division employees pursuing secondment opportunities have the responsibility to notify their supervisor of their intent. 

Division employees serving on a secondment have the responsibility to maintain regular Division communication through their Division email.

Regulation

1. GENERAL
   1. Secondments to external agencies may be approved subject to Division needs and will be limited to three consecutive school years or the equivalent. Requests for extensions will be considered by the Superintendent on a case-by-case basis and will be evaluated based on Division needs.
      
      
   2. During the term of secondment to an external agency, the staff member remains an employee of the Division with full salary and benefits. The external agency will be invoiced the cost of salary plus overhead and any adjustments which may arise during the term of the contract.
      
      
   3. Secondment requests will not be supported for the upcoming school year if requested after June 1.
      
      
   4. Secondment requests that emerge during a school year will be considered on a case-by-case basis, based on Division needs.
2. CERTIFICATED STAFF
   1. Staff on secondment retain their affiliation with the school or central decision unit to which they were assigned prior to the secondment for two years. After the second consecutive year on secondment, the staff member becomes unassigned and is no longer affiliated with a school or central decision unit. This does not apply to Division principals (see B.3).
      
      
   2. A teacher designated to a one-year term leadership position immediately prior to a full-year secondment:
      1. Will not be re-designated and as such, will not retain their leadership designation while on secondment.
      2. Will be compensated in accordance with the teachers' collective agreement in force at the time.
   3. A principal, while on secondment:
      1. Will retain the designation of principal.
      2. Will be compensated for the term of the secondment in accordance with the teachers' collective agreement in force at the time.
      3. Will not retain affiliation with the school or central decision unit to which they were assigned prior to secondment.
3. EXEMPT STAFF
   1. Prior to commencing a secondment, an exempt staff member will be provided with the contractual obligations of the secondment in writing, including their return to the Division at the conclusion of the secondment.
      
      
   2. An exempt staff member on secondment will be compensated in accordance with Exempt Non-Management Terms and Conditions of Employment or Exempt Management Terms and Conditions of Employment, whichever applies and is in force at the time.

References