Sec. 30.055.  EMPLOYEES OF THE TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF.  (a)  In this section, "teacher" means a principal, supervisor, classroom teacher, school counselor, or other full-time professional employee who is required to hold a certificate issued under Subchapter B, Chapter 21, except the term does not include a superintendent.
(b)  The governing board of the school may enter into an employment contract with any employee who provides, or supervises any employee who provides, direct and regular educational services to students or who provides other professional, educational services.  An employee employed under this subsection is not subject to Section 2252.901, Government Code.  Each teacher shall be employed under a term contract as provided by Subchapter E, Chapter 21, or under a probationary contract as provided by Subchapter C, Chapter 21.  An employee employed under a contract under this subsection:
(1)  shall be paid in accordance with a salary structure adopted by the superintendent with the concurrence of the board that provides salaries, including assignment stipends, equal, on a daily-rate basis, to salaries, including assignment stipends, paid to employees employed in comparable positions by the Austin Independent School District;
(2)  is not eligible for longevity pay under Subchapter D, Chapter 659, Government Code, and is not entitled to a paid day off from work on any national or state holiday;
(3)  is eligible for sick leave accrual under the General Appropriations Act in each month in which at least one day of the month is included in the term of the employment contract and in any other month in which work is performed or paid leave is taken;
(4)  may be permitted by the board to use a maximum of four days per contract term of accrued sick leave for personal reasons as designated by the board but the number of sick leave days not used for personal reasons during a contract term may not be carried forward to a subsequent contract term for use as personal leave;
(5)  shall be paid the salary designated in the employment contract in 12 monthly installments if the employee chooses to be paid in that manner;
(6)  shall work the hours established by the superintendent; and
(7)  in addition to the contract salary received during the employee's first year of employment with the school and for the purpose of reducing a vacancy in a position that is difficult to fill because of the specialized nature and the limited number of qualified applicants, may be paid a salary supplement, not to exceed any salary supplement paid by the Austin Independent School District to an employee employed in a comparable position.
(c)  In addition to any other federal and state statutes limiting the liability of employees at the school, Sections 22.0511, 22.0512, 22.052, and 22.053, respectively, apply to professional employees and volunteers of the school.
(d)  The governing board may authorize the payment of a stipend to a school employee who is authorized by the superintendent to perform additional duties outside the employee's normal work schedule.
(e)  The school's operating hours are as follows:
(1)  on a day designated in the school's annual calendar as a day for instruction or teacher service, the school's office hours shall be the same as any other state agency;  and
(2)  on any other day, the school is not required to maintain office hours, except that the superintendent may require an employee to work as needed for the efficient operation of the school, and an employee who is not required to work may be required by the superintendent to use paid leave, or if paid leave is not required to be used or is not available, may be required to take leave without pay.
(f)  The school may hire an employee to be paid on an hourly basis to work as a substitute for a regular full-time or part-time employee who is unavailable to perform regular duties.  An employee working as a substitute for another employee is not entitled to paid holidays or compensatory time off for holidays worked, vacation leave, sick leave, or any other leave provided to a state employee under the General Appropriations Act.
(g)  The school may pay to a teacher or employee who provides services or supervises an employee who provides services as described by Subsection (b) and who is employed to provide short-term services under Section 30.051(a) a salary that, on a daily-rate basis, does not exceed the salary paid by the Austin Independent School District to an employee employed in a comparable position during the regular school year.
Added by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 260, Sec. 1, eff. May 30, 1995.  Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1230, Sec. 1, eff. June 20, 1997;  Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1340, Sec. 3, eff. Sept. 1, 1997;  Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 204, Sec. 15.04, eff. Sept. 1, 2003;  Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1197, Sec. 5, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.
Amended by: 
Acts 2006, 79th Leg., 3rd C.S., Ch. 5 (H.B. 1), Sec. 7.03, eff. May 31, 2006.
Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 443 (S.B. 715), Sec. 25, eff. June 14, 2013.