Important Dates

If you need to take a day off work, there are two leaves that are important to understand. A paid discretionary day (4 available) equates to your regular pay minus the cost of a TTOC. For teachers at the top of the scale, this type of leave costs slightly less than your pay. For teachers at the bottom of the scale, the cost of a TTOC would exceed your daily wages resulting in a loss of your daily pay plus the difference in the TTOC cost. The benefit of a discretionary day is that it cannot be denied unless it is immediately prior to Christmas, Spring break or summer break. An unpaid day discretionary day (3 available) for a veteran teacher will result in no pay for the day which is slightly more than the cost of a TTOC for a discretionary day. In comparison, an unpaid day for a newer teacher will only result in losing that day’s wages and no further deductions but it both cases, a day of pensionable earnings is lost. The downside of an unpaid day is that it can be denied by the district based on the availability of a replacement.

Firstly, make sure you check your FTE and SAL GRID on your paystub to make sure they are correct! If you have had any recent changes in your assignment, make sure to double check these sections to make sure they are right. It is your responsibility to do so! Other areas where confusion may occur are the number of TTOC days billed out. These should only be in full or half day increments. You can cross-reference this amount with the number of days you were booked in the SRB. If you need direct assistance, contact teacherpayroll@sd5.bc.ca.If your paystub still doesn’t make sense, contact the FDTA office.

First, seek a medical professional immediately. Whether it is a physical or mental health issue, it is important that you seek a doctor to start the healing process. Ask your doctor for a medical note to support you while you are determining your best course of action. There are several supports available through the BCTF and your Blue Cross benefits. Use your sick days! They are a paid benefit so use them when you need them. Mental health is a real issue. Don’t be afraid to take a day, or two, or more if your mental health is struggling.

Starling Minds is a portal to help with mental health and wellness. Homewood Health also provides family support and counselling. If a long-term plan is needed, you can use your sick days until they are gone. 

Once your sick days are exhausted any contract teacher can apply for SIP which will supplement your income for 120 school days or six months within one school year. SIP forms are available through the BCTF portal and coverage is about 50% of your gross income which is not taxed or
considered income. Make sure to complete regular monthly check-ups with your doctor as SIP will require this. Keep your local president in the loop as to your job status and use the needed time to get well! When returning to work, please ask to be referred to the Health & Wellness program for support. This service is also available to those working who need assistance.

You can contact us by email at lp01@bctf.ca. You can call or text at 250-423-1203. 

First of all, congratulations! This can be scary time, so it is important that you plan accordingly. Here is a rough guide to get you through:

• Timing does matter! Maternity top-up benefits are not paid through Christmas, Spring, and Summer break. You will only receive a part of your maternity benefits if the child is born in March-June.

• Yes, you still get benefits! However, you will need to pay for the employee side for the duration of your leave. Once your supplemental district benefits (top up) run out after 16 weeks you will need to pay these yourself, so get your cheque-book handy.

• All teachers (TTOC and continuing) receive supplemental district top-up benefits if you qualify for federal maternity EI benefits. That means you need to have worked 600 hours in the 52 weeks prior to your birth. Doing the math, that works out to about two days per week. Your total hours can be accumulated through a variety of means which can include other jobs outside of teaching. Each teaching day is worth 9.1 hours for EI purposes.

• Check out the Paternity and Parenthood Leave section of out collective agreement.

• You will be paid through two different methods. EI will pay you the child benefit through the federal deposit system. This is also taxed which means you only receive part of the maximum benefit. The district will pay the remaining amount or the difference between your federal payment and your regular earnings. The supplemental benefit will last for sixteen (16) weeks. Double check to make sure it is right!

• You can apply for up to 20 months of extended full or part-time maternity leave outside of the year granted by the Employment Standards Act. That means you can spend some extra time with your little one and work part time as you transition back to your full assignment.