What is the impact?
The issue of an increase in teacher absenteeism was brought to me by two concerned members of our community; one was concerned with the impact on classroom effectiveness of repeated or extended absences y teachers and the other was concerned about the impact of needing to divert finds toward occasional teachers and away from programming. These are both very valid concerns about the issue of teacher absenteeism.
My Response
My take is this; I think we need to get to the bottom of the issue of why this increase in sick days is happening as it not only has significant budget implications but is a serious issue with regard to classroom dynamics and learning. I believe that the response is probably two-fold: first, the change to the teachers' contracts in the last revision that involved the addition of the use-it-or-lose-it clause for sick days is probably having an impact on absenteeism and, second, I suspect that there may be an impact of increased work-place stress on teachers in such rapidly-changing times that may also be factoring in here. Perhaps there are other issues related to administrative decisions that are being made. We need to find a way to distill what is at the heart of the problem before we can resolve it. While respecting the content of the teachers’ fairly-negotiated contracts, I think it is time to open up dialogue with the teachers to find out what is behind this troubling increase.
From my own personal history, my grade 7 teacher was seconded to the board at the end of October. We had an endless stream of substitute teachers until a permanent replacement was found. That year was the low-light of my public education experience in all regards. It is clearly in my head nearly 40 years later.
An aside to the issue of teacher absences was transparency with regard to the number of days a teacher is absent, much like we have reporting of our children’s absences and late arrivals on each report card. I think that transparency in this regard is absolutely warranted. However, I do caution that knowing the number of days of absenteeism will not resolve the issue unless we delve into the reason behind those absences.
Hi Wendy,
I would love to hear more on your thoughts about reporting teacher absenteeism. Why people are away can be very personal and confidential. Dedicated professionals already feel bad that they are away. How do you propose to be transparent about days away without adding to the anxiety and stress workers feel about being away. Would this not increase adsenteeism?
I will try to attend your coffeehouse, but I have a meeting where I need to give my impression of how you will be with the education unions tonight. I would love to hear from you. 613-729-7211 ex 206