Administrative Procedure 4105 - Fill a Vacancy

I. Purpose

To document the process for filling vacancies of authorized fulltime equivalent (FTE) positions.

II. Background

Prince Georges County Public School System employment is subject to many factors including budgetary, legislative, organizational and management requirements. The type and number of positions will vary to meet the conditions and evolving needs of the school system. The positions within the school system account for a significant amount of all resources. The procedures herein are intended to provide an efficient process for the effective control of positions.

III. Definitions

DEFINITIONS: [Alphabetical order] The subsequent definitions are pertinent to this administrative procedure.

Account Manager – A management level employee who is assigned financial decision-making responsibilities to include budget formulation, execution and control of funds.
Fill a Vacancy Hierarchy – Used in Oracle to define the approval workflow for filling vacant positions. The hierarchy is updated by the Office of Budget and Management Services as the need to do so arises.
Position – Defined by (1) a description of duties and responsibilities, (2) a period of employment, and (3) minimum qualifications. Positions are allocated in fulltime equivalents (FTE), which permit allocations of less than a fulltime position to meet varying workloads.
Position Control Review Committee – Composed of the Chief Human Resources Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and their designees, to review and make final determinations on requests to fill vacant positions. This team meets weekly.
Position Name – Assigned to every authorized position within the organization to uniquely identify all positions. A position name comprises the following segments:
1. Position Number – A unique number assigned by Oracle when a new position is created.
2. Position Title – The segment that organizes the job classifications for the school district and provides a standardized framework for organizing occupations into a manageable, understandable and coherent system for reporting purposes.
3. Allotment Method – The segment that provides a method of identification as to how the position is budgeted or funded within the school district.
  
  Example of a position name: 12345.Classroom Teacher.Formula
Vacancy – A funded unoccupied full-time equivalent position within the approved and authorized budget

IV. Procedures

The following procedures apply to all requests to fill a vacancy
for authorized positions due to employee resignations, terminations, transfers or to
fill newly created positions.

Filling a Vacancy.
If the proposed action request is to fill a vacancy, the subsequent steps must be followed:
1. The Requestor/Account Manager accesses the Position Transaction Request module in Oracle (Attachment 1) and enters all the pertinent and required information.
2. The request is forwarded to the next approval level as defined in the hierarchy.
  
  Example of approval levels for a school initiated request:
  a. Requestor - Secretary and/or Principal
  b. Approval Level 1 - Instructional Director
  
  Example of approval levels for a central office initiated request:
  a. Requestor Secretary and/or Secretary
  b. Approval Level 1 Director
  c. Approval Level 2 Divisional Chief
3. The fill a vacancy request will be forwarded to Human Resources to confirm that the position is authorized and vacant.
4. Unless a hiring freeze is not in effect, Human Resources will review the request and make a determination regarding final approval/disapproval. If approved, the position request is applied in the system and a notification of such action is forwarded to the original requestor and assigned staffing specialist, and the recruiting and/or hiring process is initiated. If the request is disapproved, a notification of such action is forwarded to the requestor with an explanation for the decision.
5. If a hiring freeze is in effect, Human Resources will compile a list of the fill a vacancy requests for submission to the Position Control Review Committee for final approval/disapproval. If approved, the position is applied in the system, a notification of such action is forwarded to the original requestor and assigned staffing specialist, and the recruiting and/or hiring process is initiated. If the request is disapproved, a notification of such action is forwarded to the requestor with an explanation for the decision.
Filling an Occupied Position with a Full Time or Part Time Regular Employee.
If a position is occupied by an employee who is on an extended authorized leave of absence, the requestor should follow the same request process as outlined above. Such requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Position Control Review Committee and decisions will be made based on the critical nature of the position and the availability of funding.

V. Related Policies and Procedures

VI. Maintenance and Update of These Procedures

These procedures originate with the Chief Human Resources Officer and updates will be completed as needed.

VII. Cancellations and Supersedures

This Administrative Procedure cancels and supersedes Administrative Procedure 4105, dated May 1, 2010.