Bluewater Occasional Teachers' Local

Each Elementary LTO day counts as 1 assignment towards the minimum number (15) required to remain on the OT Roster each school year.

“21.04 Occasional teachers are to inform the automated call system of any unavailability time.”

It is your responsibility to mark off the days you cannot work- even while in an LTO – in SmartFind Express. 

Please see the Pay Calculation FAQs section for additional information. Our grid rate is found in the Permanent Teacher’s grid found in their collective agreement in Article 10.

The rate of pay you receive is determined by your prior teaching experience and your QECO rating. If you haven’t already, please ensure that you submit your QECO evaluation and letters confirming your previous teaching experience to the payroll department. It’s important to verify that this information is received and accurate.

A full-year LTO is entitled to 11 sick days at 100% pay and 120 sick days at 90% of pay. A part-time LTO is entitled to sick leave on a pro-rated basis.

Example: You’re in a 0.6 LTO for 90 days.  You would be entitled to 11 X 0.6 X 90/194 = 3.06 sick days at 100% salary and 120 X 0.6 X 90/194 = 33.40 days at 90% salary. (194 is the number of teaching days in a school year.)

To see your sick leave entitlement during your LTO, log into the payroll portal and look under the Absence tab.

Your own personal medical appointments can be taken as paid days off, drawing from your sick leave days.

Any OT in an LTO of 90 calendar days or longer will have the option of enrolling in the ETFO ELHT (Employee Life and Health Trust). If you are eligible, you will receive an email to your Board email address from OTIP (Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan) with details about the plan and how to access/opt into it. Full-time LTOs will be completely covered, while part-time LTOs will have to pay based on the size of the LTO. Example: You’re in a 0.6 LTO. You will be responsible for covering 40% of the ETFO ELHT premiums if you opt into the plan. How much are deductions? Since the implementation of the ELHT in 2017 the administration of the benefit deductions is handled at OTIP. BWDSB does not have rate information. Deductions are arranged directly through OTIP. You can contact OTIP directly 1-866-783-6847 or log into your OTIP account for this information.

Your schedule should be the same as the teacher that you are replacing.
A full-time LTO would have a schedule that includes a minimum of 240 minutes of prep and a maximum of 80 minutes of supervision in a 5-day cycle.

Part-time LTOs would have those numbers prorated.

Example: You have a 0.7 LTO.
You would get 240 X 0.7 = 168 minutes of prep, minimum.
You would get 80 X 0.7 = 56 minutes of supervision, maximum.

If you’re taking part of another teacher’s schedule as an LTO but all the prep time or supervision falls with the one teacher, you have a right to request the timetables be altered so that you each have the prep time or supervision to which you are each entitled.

The Bluewater District School Board (BWDSB) uses “switch days” rather than the 5-day cycle system used by neighbouring school boards.

LTOs (Long-Term Occasional Teachers) are paid each day based on their FTE (Full-Time Equivalent). For example, if you are a 0.2 LTO working only on Tuesdays, you will receive 0.2 pay each day throughout the week, including PA Days but excluding statutory holidays. On weeks with a statutory holiday, you will receive only 0.8 for the week. Over time, this evens out due to “switch days.” At some point, a Tuesday might be scheduled like a Monday or Friday. During such a week, you would not work, but you would still receive 0.2 pay each day of that week.

In an LTO, it’s essential to be aware of switch days to ensure you attend school on the correct days, follow the correct supervision schedule, and leave the appropriate day plans in your absence.

Exception: If your LTO is covering a part-time medical leave for a contract teacher, switch days do not apply. For example, if the teacher you are replacing has an accommodation requiring them to have Fridays off, you will always work Fridays. This may lead to adjustments in the classes you see, particularly if you are in a preparation time-generating LTO. Since switch days do not apply, your payment may need adjustment at the end. Check with your Administrator to confirm whether switch days apply to your assignment.

Full-time LTOs are required to attend all Professional Activity (PA) Days. For part-time LTOs, you can combine your required PA Days to attend fewer days for longer periods. To determine how many PA Days you are required to attend, multiply the size of your LTO by the number of PA Days in your assignment.

Example Calculation: If you are in a 0.4 LTO from September to the end of December, which includes 3 PA Days, you are expected to attend 0.4 X 3 = 1.2 PA Days. You can attend one full PA Day (1.0) and a portion of another PA Day (0.2), or split your attendance into other combinations that best suit you, such as attending 0.6 on one PA Day and 0.6 on another.

It is recommended to prioritize PA Days dedicated to parent interviews and report card writing if they fall within your assignment period. Contact your Administrator to inform them of the PA Days you intend to attend based on what will benefit you the most.

If you are in a full-time LTO, you are expected to attend staff meetings. If you are a part-time LTO, you only have to attend staff meetings if they fall immediately before or after your teaching time. If staff meetings are Wednesday afternoons but you only teach mornings, or you only teach Tuesdays, you are not expected to attend. You may choose to attend, like if you are organizing a school event and need to provide details, but you are not required to be there. You should, however, be sure to catch up on anything missed, like new health and safety protocols or upcoming events discussed.

In the Board’s Inclement Weather procedure AP 2807-D it states, “2.1.3 In the event that the board’s transportation services are disrupted, wholly or partially, by inclement weather, but schools/worksites remain open, the expectation that staff attend at work remains in effect.” In other words, please do not rely on bus cancellations as the determining factor in deciding whether you can safely travel to work.

You will follow the same procedure as Permanent Teachers. Your Administrator will be collecting by November-ish (or whenever you start your LTO) your phone number and alternate location in the event you are unable to safely arrive at your LTO school location. If you cannot make it to your LTO school, you should let your Administrator know. If you would be able to make it to your alternate location, you would call them and let them know, so that they could call you if they needed you there.

There will be no Performance Appraisals for any Occasional Teachers, not even those in LTOs. The LTO performance appraisal process was outlined in Regulation 274 which no longer exists. While OTs in their first LTO of 97 calendar days or longer will still be invited to NTIP, there will be no evaluations of OTs in LTOs. Please contact the Local OT President if asked to complete an evaluation for an LTO.

The New Teacher Induction Program (NTIP) is for new permanent contract teachers. LTO teachers are sometimes included if the budget allows. Being in NTIP as an LTO is less formal, and if you get a permanent contract, you will go through NTIP again but formally as a “new teacher”.

If you only teach Tuesdays but an NTIP meeting is on Thursday, you will receive an extra day’s pay at your grid rate to attend, when you sign the appropriate sheet at the meeting.

From your experience as a Daily OT, you’ll appreciate the importance of a well-organized OT Folder Checklist for your daily assignment. Below is a Board-generated list of items that should be included in your OT Folder Checklist:

☐ Teacher’s Name
☐ Teacher and classroom schedule including Grade and Subject Assignments
☐ Classroom location(s)
☐ Note that key to lock/unlock classroom is to be signed out at the office
☐ Plans for day(s) including school schedule
☐ Seating Plans (best practice with pictures)
☐ Attendance Procedures (including safe arrival, departure procedure as required)
☐ Supervision Duties
☐ Children with medical problems (including pictures or location of pictures)
☐ Children with behaviour challenges (including pictures, location of pictures, Positive Behaviour Support Plan and/or Strategies for a Successful Day)
☐ Classroom Fire Plan
☐ School Lockdown Plan 
☐ Class Routines
☐ Class Management
☐ Name of staff member (s) who may provide support as required

If you are in an LTO or Part-Time Permanent position and will be absent which includes a duty before the assignment begins, it is the Administrator’s responsibility to ensure coverage while you are away for the Daily OT (Collecitve Agreement Clause 13.03).

Report card expectations will vary depending on the nature of your LTO. If you are concerned that you are being asked to do an inappropriate amount of report card work, please contact your Local President. The person responsible for writing report cards is the person in the job at the time of the report card writing PA Day. It is understood that at the end of an LTO, responsibility for the report cards also comes to an end, and a tidy collection of notes and marks will be left for the incoming teacher to assist that person with completing those tasks on the PA Day. If your LTO starts at report card writing time, you are expected to write the report cards, based on data left by the absent teacher.

Reporting Day

12.08.01 In the case of a member on a long-term assignment of one full year, the member will be granted one (1) day of preparation time. Members on LTOs that are less than a year in duration will be granted one full day of prep time prorated to the proportion of the year taught. The timing of the days of preparation time shall be at the discretion of the Member limited only by the availability of occasional teachers. These days shall be used for assessment, reporting and curriculum planning and staff development.

Notification of Early Termination of LTO

12.09 In the event that the assignment of the long-term Occasional Teacher is to be terminated prior to the originally scheduled termination date, the long-term Occasional Teacher will be given five (5) teaching days’ notice. A gradual return to work for the absent Teacher will satisfy the termination notice. In the event an assignment is terminated early, the long-term Occasional Teacher will be offered an alternative assignment within the building to meet the notice period of no more than five (5) teaching days.

Leaves

Compassion Leaves:
14.02.01 An occasional teacher, working on a long-term work assignment, excused by the Principal to make arrangements for and/or attend the funeral of a member of the immediate family (parent, sibling, child, spouse, immediate in-laws), will be compensated for the time lost from the work assignment up to a maximum of three (3) days for each such occurrence.

For this purpose:
a) “parent” shall include a person who is in the position of a parent to the Member;
b) “child” shall include a person to whom the Member stands in the position of a parent:
c) “spouse” shall include a common-law or same sex partner with whom the Member resides.

14.02.02 An Occasional Teacher, working on a long-term work assignment, excused by the Principal to attend the funeral of a family member will be compensated for the time lost from the work assignment of one (1) day for each such occurrence.

14.02.03 An additional leave of absence with or without pay may be granted by the Superintendent of Education with Responsibility for Human Resources or designate.

Pregnancy/Parental/Adoption Leaves 

A minimum 4 weeks’ notice should be given where possible. Pregnancy/Parental/Adoption Leave provisions are provided in C10.2 of the Central Agreement.

Graduation

14.04.01A Long Term Occasional Teacher who is scheduled to work and who has received prior approval by the Superintendent of Education with Responsibility for Human Resources, may be absent from work for one (1) day, without loss of pay, if any, for the purpose of attending the Graduation Ceremony of the occasional teacher.

Jury Duty/Subpoena/Witness

14.04.02 A Long Term Occasional Teacher who is scheduled to work and who is absent from work by reason of a summons to serve as a juror, or a subpoena, as a witness in any proceeding to which the occasional teacher is not a party, shall be paid the difference between the normal earnings and the payment received as a juror or as a witness.

Unpaid Leave

14.04.05 Subject to adequate notice to the Superintendent of Education with responsibility for Human Resources Services or designate and the arrangement of coverage, a long-term Occasional Teacher shall be granted unpaid leave days to a maximum of five (5) per year, subject to either or both of the following exceptions:
1. Where a long-term Occasional Teacher can show documentation of having made a commitment elsewhere before the position was accepted.
2. Where there are extenuating circumstances the Member may apply to the Superintendent of Education with responsibility for Human Resources Services or designate.
The timing of such days will avoid extending existing vacation periods.

Note: LTOs do not have “at-cost” days like permanent teachers. 

ETFO members are required to report a violent incident, whether the physical force is actual, attempted or threatened by a student, an employee, or an outsider to the Board. In these situations, verbally report to your Administrator at the earliest and safest opportunity and then submit a report that can be accessed through the BWDSB Staff Portal.  

Once an employee submits a report, the Administrator will receive an email to complete their section of the report. Once the Administrator submits the report, the employee and the Local will receive an email notification that the form is complete.

If you become injured or ill due to workplace violence, complete and submit form AF 7850 Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB) Injury/Disease & Investigation and don’t forget to get medical attention if it’s needed.

Every employee of the BWDSB must complete an annual offence declaration. This is a legislated requirement that the Board must follow. The offence declaration can be found in the employee portal where you find your pay stubs. The offence declaration will be available May 1. If it is not completed, you will not be able to work for the BWDSB after September 1. If it is not completed by October 1, you will no longer be an employee of the BWDSB.

Your annual membership fee is due January 1st of each year. The College must receive payment before April 15 to maintain your good standing status. If you are in an LTO check your pay stub to confirm a deduction of your OCT fee in January. If it is deducted, you do not have to send payment directly to the college.

The Board’s Form AF 4210 (found in SharePoint in “Forms, Templates and Reference Documents”) can be used to document purchases of school supplies during an LTO. This is a credit of 15% on up to 1000$ for the purchase of certain supplies, and if your taxes are audited, this is the form that would verify your claim. It does require an Administrator’s signature to be verified. For details on the program including eligible expenses, please see this Canada Revenue Agency page.

Thinking of using copyright-protected work in your classroom? First, you must determine if you need permission from the copyright owner. The Fair Dealing Decision Tool helps teachers decide, with just a few clicks, whether fair dealing permits classroom use of short excerpts from print materials, artistic works, or audiovisual materials without needing to obtain copyright permission. It takes 30 seconds on FairDealingDecisionTool.ca to have your answer.