Utrust - Appreciating, Developing, and Supporting School Staff

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Utrust 5 Star Award

Utrust-5-starThe Five Star Award was created to recognize school boards that practice excellence in employee management. In order to achieve the award, a school board must meet five standards of excellence that few boards in Tennessee meet. The standards were established by the Utrust Board of Trustees in an effort to encourage member boards to adopt high standards for employee management and hold administrators accountable for achieving them.

The following standards represent excellence in school district employment practices.

Standard 1.  The system bases non-renewal decisions on performance and does not non-renew all probationary employees.

Standard 2. The system establishes written contracts with non-certificated employees for a specific number of days or has a policy or practice so that employees receive paychecks for snow days or other emergency closings.

Standard 3. The system works with each employee to set performance standards and provide supervision and help in achieving them.

Standard 4. The system requires annual performance evaluation based upon the employee’s job description and performance standards.

Standard 5. The system recognizes and expresses appreciation for all school employees through participation by every school in the system in the Utrust Appreciation Program.

Procedures. Each board that meets all five standards will be designated as a Utrust 5 Star School System. This is a self-reporting award program. Each winner will receive:

1. An award presented to the board.

2. Attendance of a trustee or staff member at a local board meeting to present the award.

3. A news release sent by Utrust to the local media.

4. Posting of award status on the Utrust website for the following year.

5. Provide an official seal for the system’s website to indicate they are a Utrust 5 Star Award Winner for Excellence in Employee Management.

Monetary Awards. Systems that practice excellence in employee management sufficient to qualify for a Utrust Five Star Award will receive an additional 20% to any annual distribution of funds through Utrust mini-grants. In order to qualify for the 20% additional funds, a school system must complete the application form by the previous October 31.  To continue to qualify for this additional amount in subsequent years, a school system must certify each year that it continues to meet all five standards.

 

Five Star Award Form

Listed below are sample performance evaluation forms by position for classified employees that you may download and modify to meet your needs (provided in word format).

Classified Employee Evaluation Form
Custodian Performance Evaluation Form
Food Service Performance Evaluation Form
School Bus Driver Performance Evaluation Form
Secretarial/Clerical Performance Evaluation Form
Teaching Assistant Performance Evaluation Form

Why Your Board Should Become A Five Star Board