The 海角社区官网District School Board聽is working to tackle “the pervasive absenteeism rate,” saying it’s committed to “fostering a stable and consistent staff presence,” which is key to student achievement.
That’s according to , which outlines the number of sick days taken by staff, the cost of covering those absences, and various steps being taken in response.
“The high utilization of sick leave at TDSB has far-reaching implications and unintended consequences on the learning achievement of students, and the work experience of staff,” reads the report.聽
In 2022-23, permanent TDSB employees took an average of about 20 sick days, compared with the provincial average of 16. When looking at data since 2018, the TDSB average is consistently higher, but the trend lines are similar, so when the number of sick days provincewide goes up or down, the same thing occurs at the TDSB.
Absence data by employee group, for 2022-23, shows TDSB elementary teachers were off an average of 20.80 days (provincial average was 15.88), high school teachers 17.99 days (provincial average was 13.43), educational assistants 27.23 days (provincial average was 22.10) and custodians 25.14 (provincial average was 19.93).聽
The figures come from the聽not-for-profit School Boards鈥 Co-Operative Inc., which helps boards improve efficiency.聽In Ontario, permanent staff are entitled to 11 sick days at full pay and 120 days at 90 per cent of their salary.聽
The TDSB report comes at a time when schools nationwide are grappling with a teacher shortage and staffing challenges.
Helen Victoros, president of Elementary Teachers of Toronto, recently told the Star that the union wants to work with the board聽on the “underlying working condition issues giving rise to the increased levels of injury and illness among our members.” They include poor ventilation, heat stress, violent incidents and an increased workload with diminishing resources and supports, she said.
At the TDSB, this year’s average fill rate聽鈥 the number of absences covered by a supply聽鈥 was about 77 per cent in elementary schools and 74 per cent in high schools. Last year it was 75 and 79 per cent, respectively.聽聽That’s below聽pre-pandemic聽rates when percentages were in the 90s.
Because of the high absence rate, there’s an overreliance on supply teachers and uncertified emergency response personnel. And when no one is available to cover an absence, school staff step in to help, which can contribute to burnout.聽聽
Total sick leave costs at the TDSB for 2022-23 were $213 million, which includes replacement costs. Total replacement costs amount to $131 million annually, which is about $25 million over the provincial average.聽
The TDSB is trying to alleviate staffing pressures. For instance, it assigned supply teachers to long-term positions in schools with low fill rates. It’s using u,聽who can work in schools while finishing their studies, as replacements.聽 And it refreshed its lists of occasional teachers by moving people into permanent positions and removing those who didn’t work the required minimum number of days per school year聽鈥 in elementary schools it’s 30, and in high schools it’s 25.聽
The TDSB plans to roll out an attendance support program next fall that will result in “tremendous savings” by “reducing unnecessary absences,” the report said. It wants to do a better job of tracking attendance and communicating about the appropriate use of sick leave.聽
The board will work on hiring to help the staff makeup reflect the student population.
Isha Chaudhuri, spokesperson for Education Minister Todd Smith, said that聽since 2018, the Ford government has funded hiring 9,000 education staff, including 3,000 teachers. And this year, it cut certification times in half for聽internationally educated teachers.
“All parties have an interest in reducing teacher absenteeism as school boards like TDSB are dealing with educators taking 20 sick days off, in a 194-day work year,” she told the Star.聽 “Currently, TDSB has a 32 per cent higher absenteeism rate than other school boards across the province, which affects the quality of learning for children.鈥
According to the ministry, TDSB absence data for teachers in June 2023 shows a higher percentage of elementary teachers booked off each day, compared with high school teachers. In general, absences were generally highest on Fridays, followed by Mondays.
Meanwhile, at the 海角社区官网Catholic District School Board, the average number of sick days, or personal days, taken since 2019 is 16 for elementary teachers and 14 for high school teachers. This year’s fill rate, until the end of March, was around 67 per cent.聽聽a year. But the board is only funded for $20 million and is on the hook for $43 million.
At the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, teachers take an average of 14 sick days, and the fill rate over the past five months was about 78 per cent, which is a聽combination of classes covered by teachers and uncertified emergency staff. And at the Peel District School Board the average number of sick days for teachers in 2022-23 was about 17 for elementary teachers and 16 for high school teachers.聽
Cathy Abraham, president of the聽Ontario Public School Boards鈥 Association, which represents English public boards, said they are working on solutions.
“We are participating in task forces on teacher recruitment and retention, and sick leave, in collaboration with the government and teacher federations,” she said. “We are hopeful that these initiatives will help address a number of the existing challenges.鈥
Correction 鈥 June 13, 2024
This article was updated to correct the figure for the TDSB’s total replacement costs in 2022-23 after the board corrected its report.
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