SICK DAY BONUS DEFENDED
Education minister says rewarding teachers for good attendance saves money,
Toronto’s Catholic board will still save money even if almost all of its elementary teachers qualify for an attendance bonus despite taking an average of 16 days off last year, says Education Minister Liz Sandals.
Under a new formula negotiated by the provincial government, the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association and the trustees’ association, teachers are granted a paid day off if they call in sick one day less than the board’s overall average — part of an incentive plan to boost attendance.
In Toronto however, Catholic teachers have 11 paid sick days, five paid personal or family emergency days, as well as short-term leave, meaning any elementary teacher who has been absent 15 days or less gets the bonus.
Sandals told reporters on Tuesday that the day of “earned leave” is paid out at lower rate and covers the cost of the supply teacher.
“There’s no additional expense to the board,” Sandals said in defending the new system.
Sandals has come under fire over increasing teacher sick days.
Critics have blamed the increase on the new “use it or lose it” system where they can no longer bank unused days and cash them out at retirement.
Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown said the earned leave is questionable.
“This is a result of the two-tier negotiation bargaining process that was supposed to bring better solu- tions and less acrimony,” he said of the Liberals’ new system where costly items like salary and sick leave are hammered out provincially, leaving non-monetary issues to union locals and individual boards.
“Increasingly, we are seeing it hasn’t resulted in more effective solutions,” he added.
While Sandals initially told reporters the bonus day was only allowed if a board’s overall absenteeism rate goes down, her staff later clarified that’s not the case.
The absence rate in the Toronto Catholic board appears to be higher than surrounding urban boards.
In the Dufferin-Peel Catholic board, elementary teachers took an average of 9.3 days off, though they too are entitled to 11 sick days and five emergencies.
High school teachers took an average of 8.9 days.
“Essentially, previous collective agreements have had an impact on where boards are now — attendance was always dealt with locally and now, provincially,” said Clara Pitoscia, superintendent of human resources and employee relations for the Dufferin-Peel board.
Therese Fioravanti, the general manager of human resources, said boards won’t know the impact of the bonus day until the number of teachers who will take it has been determined.
Teachers have the option of carrying it over into the next year, she added.
The York Catholic board has a “benchmark” rate of 13.9 days absent.
French teachers in the province have a similar bonus plan, though public elementary or secondary teachers do not.
Sandals said the extra day is intended as a reward, she said, adding “there is actually a fair bit of evidence when you look at human resources management data that says the sort of earned leave, earned incentive plan for reducing absenteeism is actually quite effective. That’s the logic.” Among Toronto Catholic high school teachers, absences are lower at 13.6 days, meaning anyone who takes 12.6 days off can get the bonus.
The bonus formula is in place for the duration of the three-year provincial contract.
Teachers who have fewer days off than the average are also entitled to take a voluntary unpaid day.