Toronto District School Board teachers took nearly 20 days sick leave last year compared to the provincial average of 16 days, a report to trustees on the planning and priorities committee heard recently.
The obscenely high absenteeism rate cost the TDSB $131 million in replacement costs last year and some $213 million in total.
The report says the cost per day to replace teachers who don’t show up to work is about $6.7 million — which over the course of a year is $25 million higher than the provincial average.
The replacement costs have been 8 to 9% of the board’s payroll over the past two years, the report adds.
But executive officer Melissa Kennedy said the good news is that year over year the spread has remained the same.
Not sure that is good news but that’s the way the TDSB tries to manipulate the narrative.
Trustees heard that there are a number of factors that have contributed to the high absentee rates, most specifically teachers being in areas where there are greater proportions of high income families, racialized students, students with special education needs – and the length of time a teacher has to commute.
That sounded like a bunch of convenient excuses – again to manipulate the narrative – especially considering there are a pile of recent graduates just itching to take these jobs.
Many other people have to commute to their jobs.
I suspect it is more that teachers’ unions protect them and that “absenteeism acceptance” – a phenomenon mentioned in the report – has set in.
That refers to a “teacher’s tendency to accept absenteeism” as if it’s the norm.
TDSB officials admitted that the board has done very little to clamp down on the culture of absenteeism but that is all about to change. Or so they say.
The board’s proposed attendance support program acknowledges there are “tremendous savings” to be realized by “reducing unnecessary absences” and promoting a “healthy, safe and respectful” workplace.
Well duh, and these people purport to be educators!
The new, improved program will better track attendance (suggesting tracking was extremely loose up to now); better clarify the “appropriate use” of sick leave; and address “culpable behaviour where appropriate.” (Given the muscle of unions, I’m guessing that will never happen.”
To better track attendance and address areas of concern in a “timely manner,” the People and Culture department (fancy name for Human Resources) will create attendance dashboards for schools and departments.
I suppose I should be shocked that this is not being adequately tracked now but remember this is the TDSB where feelings (specifically those of visible minorities) take precedence over accountability.
The report says the board’s public affairs people will create an “attendance awareness campaign” to teach teachers the impact of absenteeism and the appropriate use of sick leave.
“Staff are regularly committed to ongoing and creative thinking that can contribute to positive change,” said Kennedy.
I must stop right there.
Has this board sunk to such levels of incompetence and negligence and do administrators have such a laissez-faire attitude that staff have to be reminded that they need to show up to work?
I know the answer to the question. It is yes.’
I should add that under education director Colleen Russell-Rawlins’ obsessive DEI/anti-black racism focus, many teachers have told me that morale is at an all-time low and stress at an all-time high.
She recently announced she is departing in November – not a moment too soon – but it will depend on who the board’s woke trustees choose as her successor.
I’m not optimistic at this point.
Trustee Weidong Pei, who has been dogged about trying to make his colleagues more accountable and has faced an uphill battle doing so, said he’s worried about the report because not much data was presented.
He chided administrators for making it obvious the problem emerged in 2018 and that the board is “just starting to think about it.”
Russell-Rawlins called it a “very complex and complicated” issue that is an “international trend.”
She pontificated slowly as if her entire audience was five years old.
Pei noted that constituents have reported to him that some teachers take up to 60 days sick leave per year and there is no continuity.
“I’m so disappointed,” he said, sounding very frustrated.
Associate director Leola Pon defended the report saying it is a “starting point” and very important.
Pon said it is “highly disrespectful” of staff to suggest staff are taking advantage of sick leave. She called Pei’s tone “inappropriate.”
Therein lies the problem.
