High School Faculty Employment Agreement

What a good one includes

• A detailed breakdown of academic responsibilities, including teaching loads, prep periods, grading expectations, and mandatory attendance at faculty meetings.
• A clear salary schedule outlining pay frequency, health benefits, retirement contributions, and any stipends for advanced degrees or certifications.
• Explicit expectations regarding coaching, club sponsorship, study hall monitoring, or chaperone duties, specifying whether these are voluntary or contractually compensated.
• Clear clauses defining the notice period required for resignation, causes for immediate termination, and the timeline for contract renewal decisions.
• A strict requirement that the educator maintain valid state teaching credentials and pass all mandatory criminal background and child abuse registry checks.
• Ownership provisions clarifying that the school retains the rights to curriculum materials and lesson plans developed by the teacher during their paid employment.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Vaguely defining "other duties as assigned," which leads to teacher burnout and disputes over unexpected extracurricular workloads.
• Failing to align the contract timeline with the actual academic calendar, leaving summer pay or prep-week obligations legally ambiguous.
• Omitting explicit procedures for handling classroom safety, student discipline support, and parent communication boundaries.
• Neglecting to update the agreement annually to comply with changing state education department mandates and local employment laws.

Frequently asked questions