REDUCTION IN FORCE When the Board of Education determines it necessary to reduce the number of certified staff positions, the following procedures shall apply: 1. To the extent possible, the number of bargaining unit members affected by a reduction in force will be minimized by not employing replacements for employees who retire, resign, or whose limited contracts are not renewed for reasons other than reduction in force. Attrition alone may not be sufficient to accomplish necessary reductions. 2. Reductions needed beyond those available by attrition will be made by suspending or non-renewing contracts. Those contracts to be suspended or non-renewed will be chosen as follows: a). All teachers in the bargaining unit will be placed on seniority lists in each teaching field for which they are certificated. This list will be provided to the Association President in accordance with Article I, B6 b). Reductions in any area of certification will be made from the bottom of the seniority list for that area of certification/licensure. A bargaining unit member affected may elect to displace a less senior bargaining unit member in another area in which he/she maintains a current certificate/license. Seniority rights for the purpose of reduction in force only exist after equivalent evaluations. c). If two or more bargaining unit members have the same length of continuous service, seniority will be determined by: 1. The date of the Board meeting at which the bargaining unit member was hired, and then by; 2. The date the bargaining unit member signed his initial contract in the district; 3. The date on which the bargaining unit member submitted the first completed job application within the two year period preceding the effective date of the teacher's first teaching contract with the Board of Education, if the date is available; 4. If any ties remain after (a), (b), and (c), they will be broken by lot. 3. The names of bargaining unit members whose contracts are suspended or non- renewed in a reduction in force will be placed on a recall list for up to 24 months from the date of the reduction. Bargaining unit members on the recall list will have the following rights: a). No new teachers will be employed by the Board while there are bargaining unit members on the recall list who are certificated/licensed for the vacancy; b). Bargaining unit members on the recall list will be recalled in order of seniority for vacancies in areas for which they are certificated/licensed c). If a vacancy occurs, the Board will send a certified letter by US mail to the last known address of all bargaining unit members on the recall list who are qualified according to these provisions. It is the teacher's responsibility to keep the Board informed of his current address. All bargaining unit members are required to respond in writing to the district office within ten (10) calendar days. The most senior of those responding will be given the vacant position. Any bargaining unit member who fails to respond within ten (10) calendar days, or who declines to accept the position, will forfeit all recall rights. d). A bargaining unit member on the recall list will, upon acceptance of the notification to resume active employment status, return to active employment status with the same seniority, accumulation of sick leave, and salary schedule placement as he enjoyed at the time of layoff. Where group insurance policies permit, a bargaining unit member on the recall list who is unemployed and does not otherwise have group coverage available may continue to participate in those benefits which are provided to teachers in active employment provided the teacher pays the group rates for such benefits.