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ETFO Durham Occasional Teachers’ Local Unit 107 – 1077 Boundary Road, Oshawa, Ontario L1J 8P8
Telephone: 905-404-0411 Toll free: 1-888-665-6611 Fax: 905-438-0711
Website: www.etfodotl.com, Email: [email protected]
ETFO DURHAM OCCASIONAL TEACHERS’ LOCAL
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
THURSDAY, MAY 7TH, 2015
ROYAL ASHBURN GOLF CLUB, ASHBURN, ON
EXECUTIVE
PRESIDENT
GEORGE TAYLOR
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT
KAREN WALKER
SECOND VICE PRESIDENT
JANET HEATH
SECRETARY
JANET HEATH
TREASURER
JOHN FOWLER
MEMBERS AT LARGE
JOHANNE BLAKE
LOUISA CORBY
MONIQUE MICALLEF
SHERRILYN PALIN-McCREADY
CONNIE ZOET
TEACHER LOCAL LIAISON
GERARD O’NEILL
1 AGENDA
ETFO DURHAM OCCASIONAL TEACHERS’ LOCAL
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
THURSDAY, MAY 7TH, 2015
ROYAL ASHBURN GOLF CLUB
1. Call to Order
2. Minutes of the General Meeting, February 25, 2015
3. Business arising from the minutes
4. Treasurer’s Report: John Fowler
a) Revenue & Expenditures 2014 - 2015 – to date
b) Proposed Budget 2015 - 2016
5. President’s Report: George Taylor
6. First Vice President’s Report: Karen Walker
7. Committee Reports:
• Collective Bargaining- George Taylor
• Equity – Janet Heath
• Health & Safety – Etelka Haagaard
• Political Action – Johanne Blake
• Professional Learning – Connie Zoet
• Smart Find Express – Etelka Haagaard
• Social – Johanne Blake
8. New Business:
• Constitutional Amendments
9. Adjournment:
2 GENERAL MEETING MINUTES – ETFO DURHAM OT LOCAL WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2015 SHRINE CLUB, OSHAWA 1. CALL TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 4:35 pm by President George Taylor Executive Members Present: Johanne Blake, Louisa Corby, John Fowler, Janet Heath, Sherrilyn Palin-‐McCready, George Taylor, Ingrid Thompson, Karen Walker, Connie Zoet, Regrets: Monique Micallef 2. Welcome: Louisa Corby read the ETFO Human Rights Statement. George introduced the Chair for the meeting: Mary Karchemny, a Past President of the Waterloo OT Local and an ETFO trained Parliamentarian. George turned the meeting over to Mary. Mary welcomed everybody and asked if there were any additions to the Agenda. No additions Moved by Johanne Blake and Seconded by John Foster THAT THE AGENDA FOR THE MEETING BE ACCEPTED AS WRITTEN CARRIED 3. MINUTES OF THE MAY 14, 2014 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING: Mary asked the members to review the minutes of the AGM, May 14, 2014. Moved by Ingrid Thompson and Seconded by John Foster THAT THE MINUTES FROM THE MAY, 14, 2014 AGM BE ACCEPTED AS WRITTEN CARRIED Business Arising From the Minutes – None 4. TREASURER’S REPORT: John Fowler John asked the members to review the submitted Treasurer’s Report for 2013 -‐2014 Moved by John Fowler and Seconded by John Redman THAT THE TREASURE’S REPORT FOR 2013-‐2014 BE ACCEPTED AS WRITTEN CARRIED The membership reviewed the Treasurer’s Report for July, 2014 – December, 2014 Moved by John Fowler and Seconded by John Foster 3 THAT THE TREASURER’S REPORT FOR JULY, 2014-‐DECEMBER, 2014 BE ACCEPTED AS WRITTEN CARRIED 5. PRESIDENT’S REPORT: George Taylor George thanked Johanne for the wonderful job she did in organizing the Luau and General Meeting. George also thanked John and Judy Fowler for helping to decorate our venue. George thanked Karen Walker for the great job she did as the Acting President; during his absence. He said he had brought Karen on full-‐time and that because of the workload, he asked Karen to stay full-‐time for the rest of the year. George has been told that Regulation 274 is here to stay. Regulation 274 is a Central Table bargaining issue which Locals have no control over. Interviews for the LTO List have not yet started. There were 300 applications and they will hire all those who are eligible and have a successful interview. Not everyone will make the list. Members should do the workshops offered by the Local and remain positive as members can keep applying. George wished all the applicants luck. He said the Board will provide feedback from actual interview notes. George thanked the PL Committee. PL is extremely important as the Board considers ongoing Professional Learning necessary. George acknowledged that it can be hard to attend after a hard day’s work, but it is worth it. Other Boards are looking at PL programs/arrangements with their OT Locals because our partnership with the DDSB was the first and is proving to be successful. 6. COLLECTIVE BARGAINING REPORT: George Taylor Little is known at this time. Please keep advised by reading the ETFO CB Bulletins. Bargaining Regulation has been split into 2: Central Table and Local Bargaining Central Bargaining has been underway since the start of this school year. Money issues are bargained at the Central Table. The Province decides if strike action occurs over Central Table issues. Local Bargaining will bring forth approximately 18 issues. The Local Bargaining will begin in May. The Local decides if strike action occurs over Local Table issues. George talked about the downloaded T-‐4 Slips (this is new this year). One member’s downloaded T-‐4 slip appeared to be incorrect, please check carefully. Members have received their T-‐4 slips by mail if not indicated to receive electronically. 4 George also reminded members that their paystubs must now be downloaded through the Employee Portal on the Board’s website. 7. EQUITY COMMITTEE REPORT: Read by members. No questions 8. HEALTH AND SAFETY REPORT: Read by members. George will answer any questions 9. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE REPORT: Johanne Blake Johanne requested to personally present her report. She thanked the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation for the use of their land upon which the Shrine Club sits. Johanne thanked the grade 8 students of Gandatsetiagon PS for making the flowers which decorated the Shrine Club for our Luau themed DOTL Dinner. No questions 10. PROFESSIOAL LEARNING COMMITTEE REPORT: Read by members No questions 11. REGULATION 274 REPORT: Read by members No Questions 12. SMARTFIND: Read by members Questions already answered by George 13. SOCIAL COMMITTEE REPORT: Read by members No Questions Moved by Karen Walker and Seconded by Marie Lavec THAT ALL REPORTS BE ACCEPTED AS WRITTEN CARRIED 14. NEW BUSINESS: Karen introduced a Resolution to be brought forward at this summer’s ETFO AGM. Moved by Karen and Seconded by George Taylor 5 THAT ETFO SHALL APPROPRIATELY FUND APPROVED PAID LEAVES FOR LOCAL RELEASE OFFICERS ABOVE THE RELEASE TIME ALLOCATED TO THE LOCAL CARRIED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS Motion #1 Moved by Janet Heath and Seconded by Johanne Blake MOTION TO AMEND ARTICLE VII – SECTION 1-‐ LOCAL EXECUTIVE BE IT RESOLVED THAT ARTICLE VII-‐LOCAL ORGANIZATION, SECTION 1-‐ LOCAL EXECUTIVE BE AMENDED: CURRENT: 7.1.1 b) Past President for a term to be mutually agreed upon between the Past President and the Local Executive; NEW: 7.1.1 b) Past President to serve immediately following their Presidency for a single term in a non-‐voting, advisory capacity Moved by George Taylor and Seconded by Karen Walker MOTION FOR DEFERRAL OF ALL THREE PROPOSED CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS LOST Called the Question on Motion #1 Carried George stated the vote would be done by secret ballot Moved by John Fowler and Seconded by John Redman THAT THE VOTE ON MOTION #1 BE DONE BY SECRET BALLOT CARRIED BALLOTS COUNTED AND MOTION #1 RECEIVED 60% OF VOTE AS REQUIRED TO PASS. Moved by John Fowler and Seconded by Johanne Blake TO ACCEPT BALLOTS AS COUNTED CARRIED Motion #2 Moved by Janet Heath and Seconded by Johanne Blake MOTION TO AMEND ARTICLE VII – SECTION 1-‐ LOCAL EXECUTIVE BE IT RESOLVED THAT ARTICLE VII-‐LOCAL ORGANIZATION, SECTION 1-‐LOCAL EXECUTIVE BE AMENDED BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW SECTION 7.1.8 TO READ: 6 SHOULD THE PRESIDENT OR FIRST VICE-‐PRESIDENT BE UNABLE TO FULFILL HIS/HER DUTIES FOR A PERIOD GREATER THAN ONE MONTH OF TIME, THE SECOND VICE-‐
PRESIDENT SHALL ASSUME THE DUTIES OF THE FIRST VICE-‐PRESIDENT MOTION #2 CARRIED Motion #3 Moved by Janet Heath and Seconded by Johanne Blake MOTION TO AMEND ARTICLE VIII –ORGANIZATIONAL DUTIES, SECTION 1-‐ DUTIES OF THE EXECUTIVE BE IT RESOLVED THAT ARTICLE VIII-‐ORGANIZATIONAL DUTIES, SECTION 1-‐DUTIES OF THE EXECUTIVE BE AMENDED: CURRENT: 8.1.10 appoint at least three signing officers of the Local; NEW: 8.1.10 appoint the President, the First Vice-‐President, the Second Vice-‐President and the Treasurer as the four signing officers of the Local; MOTION OUT OF ORDER called by Ingrid Thompson Mary ruled the Motion in Order; Article 8 Mary’s rationale was that it was up to the membership to change it if they wished. Ingrid challenged the Chair THE MOTION WAS VOTED IN ORDER AS RULED BY THE CHAIR CARRIED MOTION #3 Moved by John Foster and Seconded by John Redman A FRIENDLY AMENDMENT to change the number of signing officers to five with the fifth signing officer being the PL Chair. CALL TO AMEND MOTION #3 CARRIED MOTION #3 AS AMENDED CARRIED 7 Moved by Janet Heath and Seconded by Laurie Josevski THAT ALL AGENDA, MINUTES AND COMMITTEE REPORTS BE SENT TO THE MEMBERSHIP, VIA EMAIL, ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE GM AND AGM. ALSO, ALL APPLICABLE FINANCIAL REPORTS WILL BE POSTED IN A SECURE SECTION ON THE DOTL WEBSITE ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE GM AND AGM. CARRIED ADJOURNMENT: Moved by John Fowler and Seconded by Laura Palmer THAT THE DOTL GM, FEBRUARY 25, 2015, BE ADJOURNED AT 6:45 CARRIED 8 Collective Bargaining Committee Report
We are in the middle of Collective Bargaining at this time and every day is bringing
different challenges.
Provincially, we are in a legal strike position as of May 10, 2015. Locally we have not
reached that point. We are having our first Collective Bargaining meeting with the Board
on May 22nd to discuss local issues.
On May 5th, we are having a meeting with ETFO, the Permanent Local and their
Stewards where we will be updated on the next steps we will be taking. I will update
everyone with a verbal report at the AGM.
George Taylor
9 2nd Vice-President, Secretary, and Equity Report
It has been an honour to serve as your Second Vice-President. Although this year
has flown by, the Executive has had a very productive year. Policies to clarify
thresholds for some Executive expenses were passed. It is my goal to help develop
and pass more Policies and Procedures next year which will help the Executive function
in the most positive and transparent way possible.
I was recently elected by the Executive to fill the vacant Secretary position; for the
rest of this Executive’s term. I am honoured to fulfill this important position. I am on a
learning curve, but I relish the challenge.
I must confess that the Equity Committee only met formally once this year. The
members of the Equity Committee participated in Pink Shirt Days, ETFO Equity
workshops, the DOTL PAC Committee’s partnering with the First Nation Reserve in
Northern Ontario, and the Durham PFLAG Annual Fundraising Dinner.
As I mentioned above, this year flew by. We are now in a difficult time regarding our
Collective Bargaining. We need to show that we are not willing to lose our hard fought
for contractual rights. We are professionals who work hard, sometimes in less than
ideal conditions, we dedicate ourselves to the students and we deserve to be treated
with respect. Please read all the emails from DOTL and ETFO. Facebook has an
ETFO Collective Bargaining page. I suggest you join this closed group and that you
make sure you are getting the ETFO CB Bulletins.
Yours in solidarity,
Janet Heath
10 Health & Safety Report 2014 - 2105
Durham Occasional Teachers’ Local Annual General Meeting May 7, 2015
Occupational Health and Safety: training is completed. OTs were the first to get on board with this endeavour. Otherwise it was done on a school by school basis. Occasional teachers are a separate group but LTO’s come under the principal’s jurisdiction. For new hires this training must be done on an ongoing basis. Kerri Stewart of the DDSB is working on this with Arlene Walkes. The training is on the Moodle platform. Non Board approved cleaning products remain a concern due to allergies. General message is no non-‐ board approved cleaning product should be used. (Sabrina’s Law). Employee Violent Incident Summary: the numbers and data look generally consistent with past years in that accidents are similar to previous years. There has been some increase in lost time to EA’s as well as some Health Care incidents. The question was raised if this could be contributed to more reporting and awareness. Lost time injuries are typically as a result of falls, this year however these types of injuries were less typical in that there has been an increase in injuries due to aggression, the majority of which occurs in FDK. What remains of consistent concern and discussed at each meeting is a) the reporting of violent incidents and b) the tracking of same. Reporting is not happening, there seems to be ambiguity on how to make sense of the data provided, but more importantly the Ministry does not have a tracking system. ETFO however does. We will soon announce the launch of our new website including a confidential electronic version of the ETFO Violent Incident Report. The link will be on the homepage of our website and will open on your phone, tablet, or computer for instant access. Once completed, the form can be electronically and confidentially submitted to the Local. Remember that you must also fill in the DDSB forms which are available from the principal. Protocol states that the administration will obtain the report from the employee but it is the principal who is ultimately responsible for submitting the forms. The employee may request a copy of the submitted forms for their own records and probably should do so. It is of importance for occasional teachers to be proactive and to know what constitutes a violent incident and which forms need to be filled out. Everything is now online and Employee Violent Incident forms are available on lotus notes. The definition of both what is an “injury” and what is a violent incident is also available online. (Bill 157). Occasional teachers fill out form D-‐5. 11 Physical Containment occurs in rare circumstances but must be done by trained personnel only. There may be antecedents (triggers). The DDSB says eliminate the triggers and eliminate the behaviour. Teachers are advised to go to people next door, the SERT to get help. This is of concern to us as occasional teachers as we are not always advised of what the needs of students are. Violent Threat Assessment Profile is a new initiative by the Board. The assessment profile is dictated by incident, beginning in Kindergarten. A presentation was made to Principals as they are ultimately responsible. Staff members at secondary schools were trained during the last school year i.e. SERT and Guidance personnel. There were 2 sessions in January 2015 and 42 elementary staff members were trained at that time; SERT and principals. Hopefully by the fall of 2015 everyone will be trained. Bus Protocol: A final draft has been completed and has to be approved before the next step. The new protocol cannot address specific student incidents but there should be a Bus Safety Plan, with the goal to transport all students in a safe manner. This will go out to various stakeholders for input before administrative approval can be reached. The protocol will become part of Procedure 5127, of which the committee has completed final drafts. Of important news is the rollout of a new Health and Safety initiative. This will be on the portal for the school year 2015 – 2016 with monthly safety templates and monthly mini-‐presentations on Moodle for easier access and information to schools for their monthly staff meeting. The entire site is being reorganized for easier organized access to necessary Health and Safety information. Information can be accessed on the portal under Occupational Health & Safety. Occasional teachers will have to be proactive in viewing the site and keeping themselves informed. Questions are being raised about the number of EAs available as support staff. Mainstreaming and needs are on the increase, as is aggression. This impacts occasional teachers as we are not always advised of the needs of certain students and EAs may be assigned somewhere else when there is a supply teacher. Numbers of EAs remain relatively the same and however statistics are not readily available for tracking as it is currently done manually. Respectfully Submitted, Etelka Haagaard Health and Safety Chair 12 PAC Committee Report The Durham Occasional Teachers’ Political Action Committee has been very active this year. The members of the committee worked diligently to support several Liberal and NDP candidates in last spring’s June provincial election. The candidates that we supported were all successful in their bids for election demonstrating that with our involvement we can make a difference. There is a Federal election coming in the near future. Your committee will once again be providing the membership with information on each of the candidates in your riding and their party platforms. We hope that providing you with this information will assist you in making an informed vote. Johanne, as your representative, has been attending the GTA PAC meetings each month in order to learn more about each of the surrounding GTA locals’ PAC initiatives. We have paired up at GTA PAC in order to present a 30 days of action plan on the six major issues that we feel will affect teachers and their families in the upcoming federal election. These issues are First Nations/Metis/Inuit concerns, Postal Workers {Save Door-‐to-‐Door mail delivery}, Childcare, Health Care, Minimum Wage, and Pensions. Each team has done extensive research in order to be experts on their topic. Expect to receive continuous updates on these six issues beginning in May. Johanne and Rose DaCosta, Elementary Teachers of Toronto Community Advisor, have been assigned Indigenous Issues. The federal government is responsible for the school funding on reserves in Ontario and other provinces and the First Nations children on reserve receive inequitable education and most have poor quality schools. A First Nations child’s education is funded between $2000 and $3000 less per year than another child in a nearby provincial school. Provinces/territories typically do not top up the money given to the reserves by the Federal Government. This means First Nations children and youth across Canada get inequitable education just because they are First Nations and living on a reserve. As a committee we feel this is not fair! As part of Social Justice and Equity, your PAC committee has decided to assist a northern reserve. The reserve we have chosen is Kasabonika Lake First Nation Reserve that is located approximately 448 kilometres northeast of Sioux Lookout, 13 Ontario, along the Asheweig River. They are a remote First Nation, accessible by air and by winter road. One of our OTs, Larissa, took a leave of absence to work on this reserve for three years before returning this year to resume her membership in our Local. Thanks to her, Johanne has been able to talk to two teachers and the principal of the school and they are so excited and amazed that we would wish to assist them and their community. They sent a list of badly needed items and our Local, along with two elementary schools in Durham and Fairport/Dunbarton United Church in Pickering, have begun fund raising in order to provide the school with some of these necessities. To date, eight large boxes have been sent to the Reserve full of school supplies, and other items from their list. We will continue to update you with our efforts. Johanne Blake, Political Action Chair 14 Professional Learning Committee Report May 07, 2015 The Professional Learning Committee is an umbrella committee which oversees professional learning opportunities for the Local’s membership, professional funding support for members’ professional growth, and members’ book reviews which are posted on line for the benefit of all members. We are pleased to report that the Committee has brought thirty-‐eight (38) workshops to the Local this year. We enjoy a continuing, positive relationship with the DDSB that has resulted in the Board offering numerous workshops that are of great benefit to our membership. This year, the DDSB provided workshops in technology training, Behaviour Management, Literacy, Numeracy, working with parents, and FSL. In addition, we brought in presenters from ETFO, teacher presenters (from both Durham Locals), and a presenter from Trent University. Members who attended workshop have reported their appreciation of the variety and professionalism of workshops that have been available this year. The Professional Learning Funding has continued to see members accessing funds to support their professional learning. Since the establishment of the fund in March of 2014, forty-‐one (41) members have been approved to receive funds upon completion of their courses. The Book Review Fund has been accessed by more members this year, with new book reviews posted on the Local’s website. Our workshops are held in a variety of locations. At each workshop we provide refreshments which participants appreciate. A huge thanks to Ingrid Thompson who books caterers, sets up refreshment areas, and cleans up afterwards, including packing up any leftovers for members to take along. It has also been my pleasure to attend the Professional Learning Chairs Conference, held this year in Barrie. This conference brings together PL Chairs from across the province to discuss, plan, problem solve and share ideas to improve professional learning programs within our respective Locals. I extend thanks to George Taylor and the Executive for their support of the work of the PL Committee. 15 I would like to personally thank the members of the Professional Learning Committee for their hard work and dedication in organizing and preparing workshops throughout the year. It is always a pleasure to work with Louisa Corby, Etelka Haagaard, Sharon Ramberan Singh, Farah Sherazi and Ferial Visram (who recently joined the committee). It should be noted the majority of the work they do is voluntary. Their efforts at ensuring workshops are organized and run smoothly is greatly appreciated. At the end of the school year, the Professional Learning Committee will again review all policies and procedures in order to ensure continued excellent service to our membership. Respectfully Submitted, Connie Zoet Professional Learning Chair 16 SMARTFINDEXPRESS Committee Report to the Durham Occasional
Teachers’ Local Annual General Meeting May 7, 2015
Committee members for the 2014 - 2105 school year are:
Rebekah Bremner, Rose Ann Cowan, Sharon Ramberan Singh, Etelka Haagaard (SFE
Chair)
The SFE Committee met in September and October and a list of recommendations for
the improvement of the SmartFind callout system was presented to Arlene Walkes by
George Taylor and Etelka Haagaard during a meeting in November 2014. In order of
priority the recommendations presented were as follows: scheduling 1 supply teacher
when there are 2 1/2-day workshops within the same school; the posting of accurate job
assignment information, including teacher’s name and grade level, correct school entry
and start times; the addition of school locations e.g. Whitby, Pickering to help match up
half day job assignments; special instructions that reflect the particular job.
The list of recommendations as presented to the DDSB in November 2014 follows:
The Durham Occasional Teachers’ Local Smart Find Committee wishes to
express their thanks for the opportunity to address commonalities of
concern in the assignment and acceptance of job assignments by our
occasional teachers through the SFE system.
We fully recognise and acknowledge the Durham District School Board’s
efforts in being proactive by the introduction of the Job Shopping feature,
the FAQ section on the login page, as well as the addition of school maps
to the job assignment confirmation notices on the Lotus Note site.
On behalf of all our members, the SFE Committee wishes to extend their
appreciation for the measures taken so far to improve the system. Our
mutual aim is, of course, to ensure the equitable distribution of jobs to all
occasional teachers, and to alleviate the problematic situation that unfilled
job assignments cause everyone concerned.
Our committee has established a list of recommendations to the
SmartFindExpress callout system for consideration by the Durham District
School Board. Our overarching rationale is to encourage daily occasional
teachers to more readily accept assignments and to reduce the number of
unfilled job assignments.
We have listed our recommendations in order of priority.
17 •
Scheduling 1 Supply for 2 1/2-day workshops within the same school:
It has been expressed to us that occasional teachers are crossing paths in
their half day job assignments. In order to enhance the availability of
occasional teachers and avoid the issues of matching up half day
assignments, when a school is scheduling BCI workshops for two
divisions, it would be to the school’s benefit to schedule one occasional
teacher for both 1/2-day workshops for that particular day.
•
Accurate Job Assignment Information:
It has come to our attention that a number of teaching profile/ assignments
are not presently updated to reflect current teaching schedules. At times
the voice recording is not clear as to the teacher’s name and grade level
or it is missing. This results in confusion and may cause the occasional
teacher to come unprepared for the assignment e.g., the occasional
teacher may have been assigned a grade 3 during callout and the
assignment he/she receives is for Core French. We feel that rectification
to these circumstances is critical for the daily occasional teacher to have a
successful day, to achieve the expectations being set out for them and for
the students they teach.
In addition, the callout system does not always indicate correct school
entry and start times. This concern includes the end of the lunch recess
for afternoon assignments. School profiles need to be updated to reflect
the entry bell and not the start of the first period. The posting of accurate
start times will ensure that the occasional teacher has enough time to
arrive at the school in time to prepare for the teaching assignment.
•
School Location:
Concern has been expressed repeatedly that occasional teachers are
hesitant to accept assignments because they do not feel that they can
arrive at the school on time. Being late is of great concern, as it
compromises the professionalism of the occasional teacher. They need
time to acquaint themselves with the day’s schedule and plans, to read the
Supply Handbook about the educational needs of all students in that
particular class, and it may also result in a possible decrease to students’
educational time. In addition pressure is placed on the school staff to
place someone in the class until the OT arrives. The addition of the school
location to callout information e.g. Whitby, Pickering etc. will help match
up half day job assignments and alleviate unfilled job assignments. There
isn’t always opportunity to verify school locations while a call is in
progress. Occasional teachers may not always be familiar with all school
18 locations, especially so when the callout is to a school outside of those
listed on their profile. This will lead to fewer incidents of teachers arriving
late to afternoon assignments, especially when the supply receives a late
morning call while they are teaching to fulfill an afternoon assignment.
•
Special Instructions:
Our occasional teachers wish to be seen as competent professionals.
Therefore the posting of special instructions that reflect the job assignment
would allow the occasional teacher to be better prepared for the day’s
events such as gym activities and field trips.
Once again, we thank you for your time and consideration of the
SmartFindExpress Committees’ concerns.
To date the SFE committee has not received any formal response from the DDSB to
these recommendations.
The SFE committee met on Monday March 3, 2015 to review our next steps. The
meeting was attended by Sharon, Rebekah and Rose and Etelka. At the request of the
chair, Karen and George presented a report to us about their meeting with Arlene
Walkes in February which included a discussion about the SFE callout system.
However, of prime focus during this meeting was the amount of unfilled jobs which at
present is of grave concern to the DDSB and thereby to us as a local.
Resultant to the report by Karen at this meeting, the committee discussed, prioritized
and wrote two additional recommendations for consideration by the DDSB for the next
school year. Following is a draft proposal that has yet to be sent to the board:
April, 2015 - Additional Proposed Recommendations for SMARTFINDEXPRESS
The Durham Occasional Teachers’ Local SMARTFINDEXPRESS
Committee wishes to express their appreciation on behalf of all of our
members for the opportunity to address commonalities of concern in the
assignment and acceptance of job assignments by our occasional
teachers through the SFE system.
Our mutual aim is to alleviate the problematic situation that unfilled job
assignments cause everyone concerned, and of course to ensure the
equitable distribution of jobs to all occasional teachers.
19 Our committee has reviewed, established and prioritized two
recommendations to the SmartFindExpress callout system for
consideration by the Durham District School Board. Our overarching
rationale is to encourage daily occasional teachers to more readily accept
assignments and to reduce the number of unfilled job assignments.
The committee strongly advocates the scheduling of one occasional
teacher for two BCI workshops at the same school in order to alleviate the
number of unfilled assignments.
It is our understanding that the expense of driving between schools in
different parts of Durham Region, the lack of adequate prep time for the
task ahead, inadequate time for personal needs such as a lunch break
combined with the high stress factor of possibly arriving late to a half day
afternoon assignment fosters an unhappy situation for everyone involved.
It is our conjecture that as a result occasional teachers are at times
hesitant to accept two different half-day assignments at different schools
within the Durham Region.
Currently, each occasional teacher has already selected a minimum of
three areas of the Durham region for their work availability. Building on
this, our second recommendation for consideration is that areas of
geographical availability be prioritized in order of preference as part of the
process of confirming an occasional teacher’s profile for the 2015/2016
school year. For example if one individual’s profile listed Pickering, Ajax
and Whitby as their areas of availability, they could then choose being
called for Pickering first, Ajax second and Whitby third.
Once again, we thank you for your time and consideration of the
SmartFindExpress Committees’ concerns.
Respectfully Submitted,
Etelka Haagaard
SmartFind Express (SFE) Committee Chair
20 Social Report for 2014 – 2015 The Durham Occasional Teachers’ Social Committee has had another busy year planning events that give back to our membership and hopefully provide a venue for networking with colleagues and the enjoyment of a wide range of culinary delights. Our annual September B.B.Q. and Day of Pampering, was once again an enjoyable start to the school year. This event was well attended by our members, who received free information from the various community associations that set up displays, as well enjoying pampering, hair cutting and delicious B.B.Q. fare. The Festive Soiree held in December provided members with a traditional turkey dinner with all the trimmings, including scrumptious desserts and an opportunity for lots of dialogue with fellow OT members. The second annual “Beat the Winter Blahs”, Hawaiian Luau took place after our General Meeting in February and featured authentic Hawaiian food. It was well attended and everyone enjoyed the culinary delights and opportunity to connect with and share an awesome evening with their fellow OTs. The Annual General Meeting will once again take place at the Royal Ashburn Golf Club. Save the date, May 7th, 2015 and bring your appetites as we will once again be provided with a taste tempting buffet following the meeting. This summer we are considering offering a picnic for families. Children, grandchildren and spouses will be welcome to share a BBQ, games, swimming and connecting with friends and colleagues. If you would be interested in attending, please email [email protected]. If there is enough interest, we will look into this further. Thank you for the opportunity of providing to you these social events that hopefully add some fun to your busy school year. Johanne Blake – Chair of the Social Committee 21