Annual Leave Memo for Principals

Annual Leave Procedures for Principals 2024-2025

• The vacation year for Principals commences September 1 and ends August 31.
• Principals accrue up to 27 annual leave days per vacation year. The annual leave will be accrued at the rate of two and one quarter days per month and will be credited on the 16th day of each month while in active status.
• Personal business and religious observance days must be charged to annual leave.  These days may not be charged to Cumulative Absence Reserves (CAR). All CSA members are now allowed to use up to 3 CAR days, per work year, to care for a sick family member.
• All workdays, including the summer, are seven (7) hours and fifteen (15) minutes exclusive of a duty free lunch.  Annual leave may be taken in whole days or partial increments. Principals shall continue to devote the necessary time and effort to fulfill their professional obligations as they have in the past.
• Annual leave is automatically charged for school closings during winter recess and mid-winter recess, unless an exception has been granted to work during these periods.  Exceptions must be approved, in advance, by the appropriate Superintendent.  If approved to work during these school recess periods, the Principal’s vacation bank will not be charged and s/he will be entitled to take those days at a later date but no later than August 31^st of that school year.
• The collective bargaining agreement allows principals to request permission from their superintendent to work on all school holidays (inclusive of Federal and State holidays) when school is not in session.  If the Superintendent approves a principal can defer an annual leave day or, in the case of a principal approved to work on a paid holiday, or earn a floating holiday, to be used at another time during the work year, with permission from the Superintendent. In no event do any deferred annual leave days or floating holidays carry over past August 31 of the work year.
• School closings for the 2024-2025 school year are as follows:
  • Winter recess – Dec 23, 26, 27, and 30 (Dec 24, 25, 31, and Jan 1 are paid holidays)
  • Midwinter recess – Feb 18, 19, and 20 (Feb 17 and 21 are paid holidays)
  • Spring recess – Apr 15, 16, and 17 (Apr 14 and 18 are paid holidays)

If annual leave is charged for all of these school closings, a Principal will have seventeen (17) annual leave days remaining.

NOTE: Principals may perform per session work during Winter or Mid-Winter breaks; however, such employment may not be used as a means of providing additional compensation for work or responsibilities related to an individual’s primary assignment. Principals must secure approval from their Superintendent prior to commencing per session work. 

(The above applies to 12-month APs as well; however, they must secure approval from the supervising Principal prior to commencing per session work during the school recesses. Non-annualized AP’s are directed to Chancellor’s Regulation C-175 for their rights and responsibilities regarding per session work.) 

Outside of the Winter and Mid-Winter Breaks, should a Principal or 12-month Assistant Principal wish to work per session on the same day they are using annual leave, such per session is subject to the approval of the appropriate Superintendent, and all such per session work must be authorized by the Superintendent prior to the performance of such work.

• Annual leave requests must be arranged mutually with the Superintendent. Superintendents shall review annual leave requests and notify Principals in writing of their determination within ten (10) school days of receiving the request.
• Annual leave should not be charged for central headquarters closings listed in the 2024-2025 Central Calendar, e.g., Labor Day, Columbus Day, etc.

Annual leave cannot be carried over from one year to the next except as specified below:

• Principals may carry up to four (4) days annual leave earned during the 1999-2000 school year for future use.
• Principals and current 12 month Assistant Principals who reported to work during the period February 20-22, 2013 are permitted to carry over up to three (3) annual leave days (corresponding to the number of days they reported to work) for future use past August 31, 2013. For more details, consult 2013 Personnel Memorandum #5, dated December 18, 2012, regarding the impact of Hurricane Sandy.
• Pursuant to State and Department directives, the NYCDOE continued to offer remote learning during the period which was originally scheduled as Spring Recess, April 9-17, 2020, and therefore all schools offices continued in full operation. Principals and 12-Month Assistant Principals who worked during this period may be eligible for Special Annual Leave Days, and 10-month school-based Assistant Principals may be eligible for Vacation Days. All Special Annual Leave Days and Vacation Days will be held in a separate dedicated bank and do not expire.

These are the only annual leave days that may be carried over from one vacation year to another and once used may not be replenished.