Trustee elections

Municipal elections are Monday 26 October. Trustees can be elected on a handful of votes, so it is very important that all HEU members exercise their right to vote.

The HEU is endorsing:

• Janet O’Hearns Czarnota, Halton Hills
• Roman Soler, Burlington wards 3 and 6

There are a few candidates who, on review of their campaign material and their responses to the survey, we feel are the better choices in their ridings. We do not have enough information to endorse them, but their material makes them the better option.

The HEU suggests:

• Allison McKenzie, Burlington wards 1 and 2
• Joseph Brandan, Milton wards 1 and 4
• Katrina Vinka Kvenich, Burlington wards 4 and 5

All HEU members are encouraged to get informed and to get out and vote on 26 October.

Report cards

Progress reports are due to the office on 6 November, as per the HCDSB reporting timelines sent out in June.

The teacher in the classroom on the report card writing PA day is the one who enters and completes the report cards online. Since progress reports do not have a report card writing PA day, the rule is that whoever is in the class one week before the due date is the one who should be writing it.

Each teacher is responsible for reporting on the curriculum expectations they assess and evaluate. If you are leaving an assignment before the due date, you are required to leave comments and marks on all the curriculum expectations you covered, as well as information on the assessment of learning skills. This can be done in a Word document.

Rally for publicly funded education

Everyone is welcome to attend on 24 October. Bus sign up should have closed, but everyone is welcome to join at Queen’s Park as we stand up for publicly funded education.

Red for Ed

This Friday, 23 October, is Red for Ed. HEU members are encouraged to wear red and send in pictures of individuals, groups or whole staffs to be entered to win Red for Ed t-shirts. Send pictures to tarahambly@haltonoecta.ca.

We hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving weekend.

Congratulations to the winners of the World Teachers’ Day contest: Rebecca S, Paul C, Victoria R and Lauren D.

Leaves

Unpaid leaves are granted at the discretion of the board. Do not book any travel until you have made the request and had it approved. You are always encouraged to put your request in as soon as possible.

HEU personal day procedure

• Any permanent elementary teacher can access one paid personal day per school year.
• You do not need to provide a reason. You simply state that you are requesting a personal day.
• Requests must be submitted at least 10 working days in advance to HR through the leave request form.
• If approved, you have five days to enter your absence in SFX.
• It is a paid day, but you repay all 300 minutes through planning time.
• Time already owed to you is deducted first. If there is none, the time is recorded and deducted as you lose planning time.
• If no time is owed to you, you can be reassigned during your planning time to offset banked planning time for others until it is paid back in full.
• Anything not returned by the end of the school year carries over. If you resign or take a non-statutory leave while owing time, you may be required to repay the board.
• You do have to leave plans for the day you are off.
• If you owe the board 450 minutes or more you are not eligible until your bank is down to 150 minutes or less.

Restricted dates: PA days, EQAO assessment days, the first or last day of the school year, any day that would extend Christmas or March break, any day that would extend a statutory holiday weekend, and Black Friday in November.

Questions on this procedure go to the unit office.

Part-time teachers

Part-time teachers looking to increase their FTE for the following school year need to fill out the form so their request is received before the collective agreement deadline of 28 February. Fill it out as soon as possible so you do not miss it. FTE increase request form ↗

Deferred salary leave

Those wishing to be considered for the deferred salary leave program must apply in writing to Katelyn Clutterbuck, copying Anah Figueiredo, on or before 31 January.

Anyone in the program should receive a statement of principal and interest standing to their credit on 1 September and 31 December, or as soon as feasible thereafter, in each year of participation. If you are in the program and have not been receiving your statements, contact the unit office.

Red for Ed winners

Thank you to everyone who wore red on Friday. The winning submissions were Jaclyn PB, Melissa F, Mishline S and Massimo M. The next Red for Ed day is Friday 23 October, to build solidarity for the Toronto rally.

24 October rally at Queen’s Park

Those who sign up for the bus in Burlington will be handed shirts at that location. The bus registration date was 12 October, but if you are still planning to attend please register as soon as possible. Register ↗

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otip.com ↗

Faith Day

If your school is participating in Faith Day at a location outside Halton, you should be eligible to claim mileage under board policy I-34 (A), Reimbursement of Expenses for Employees.

Attendees cannot claim mileage on professional activity days and Faith Days if these occur within the Region of Halton, or if transportation is provided for the group. If the day occurs outside Halton Region and transportation is not provided, the shorter of home to the out-of-region location, or HCDSB assigned location to the out-of-region location, is eligible for reimbursement.

World Teachers’ Day

Happy World Teachers’ Day. The HEU has ads running on Milton 101FM to celebrate the day, so tune in and listen for one.

We have four prizes to give away to HEU members. To be entered, tell us which year UNESCO first proclaimed World Teachers’ Day. Send your answer to admin@haltonoecta.ca by Wednesday at 4 p.m.

24 October rally at Queen’s Park

Thank you to everyone who attended the strike vote information meeting yesterday. Those who attended are encouraged to share the information with OECTA colleagues.

Those who sign up for the bus in Burlington will be handed HEU shirts at that location. The deadline to register for the bus is 12 October. Register for the bus and rally ↗

Red for Ed

This Friday, 9 October, is a Red for Ed day. We encourage all OECTA members to wear their red proudly and send pictures to the HEU. We would love to see staff group photos on Faith Day in your red. Send pictures to tarahambly@haltonoecta.ca to be entered to win a Red for Ed shirt.

Health and safety minute, by Krista Hutchinson

Violence in schools: what every teacher should know. Workplace Violence in School Boards: A Guide to the Law is a must read for all educators. It sets out your rights, your responsibilities and the board’s responsibilities to keep staff safe. It was co-created with the union affiliates, CPCO, the trustee associations, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labour. It is an easy read, the Coles Notes version of what you need to know.

Topics include the definition of workplace violence, risk assessments and reassessments, safety plans, summoning immediate assistance (collective agreement Part A 21.5.1), reporting incidents and work refusal, plus helpful appendices.

All teachers should have been trained by the board on the online reporting tool (SSIRF) and their reporting obligations.

Read the guide (PDF) · ontario.ca ↗

Health and safety questions or concerns go to the worker rep at your school and the unit office: kristahutchinson@haltonoecta.ca, Health and Safety Chair. If you believe your rights are being violated, reach out to the unit office.

Strike vote information meeting

At the meeting the HEU will be giving out free Red for Ed t-shirts, first come first served while supplies last. Shirts are for HEU permanent teachers, LTOs who work in elementary, and OTs who have declared elementary as their panel.

It is important for HEU members to attend so they are informed before the strike vote on 12 and 13 November.

If you have a staff meeting planned that night, anyone who wishes to attend needs to speak to their principal about being released early. The board is aware and has said it would accommodate requests. If you have problems, let us know.

Together for Public Education rally

Saturday 24 October, 1 to 2 p.m., Queen’s Park, Toronto. Buses are provided for members and their families from various pick-up locations. You must register if you plan to take the bus.

All HEU members are encouraged to attend so we can stand with every other education union for publicly funded education.

Register in English ↗ · S’inscrire en français ↗

Sick leave

Permanent full-time teachers get 11 sick days paid at 100 per cent and an additional 120 STLD days paid at 90 per cent. If you did not use all 11 sick days last school year, those become top-up days this year, and each top-up day tops up 10 STLD days to 100 per cent.

Part-time teachers and LTOs have their days prorated to their FTE. LTOs do not get top-up days.

The board can request medical confirmation for any absence of five or more consecutive days, through the FAF form in the collective agreement. If the board requests it, the board must reimburse you the cost of obtaining it. Never provide the board with a diagnosis, only a general nature of illness.

If you have questions or want more information on taking a medical leave, reach out to the unit office.

Part-time teachers

Part-time teachers assigned a 0.5 FTE are to be assigned no more than 150 instructional minutes a day. If you are scheduled to teach more than 150 minutes, your FTE needs to reflect the instructional minutes assigned. Questions or concerns go to the unit office.

Published as the Tuesday’ish Tid-bit.

Edwin

As indicated in the board memo, Edwin is currently open for teacher exploration. Teachers should not add students to it yet. Explore Edwin and wait for further direction before adding any students.

$750 supplies cards for LTOs

The board has told the unit it is in the process of changing login information to the LTO in the classroom. While you wait for your access to order classroom supplies, if you need something, speak to your principal about what is needed so your class has the basics until you are given access to place an order.

Teachers and unions continue to have concerns with the rollout of this government initiative and the problems associated with it. If you have concerns you are encouraged to reach out to your local MPP and voice them, so they hear directly from teachers. This was a government initiative done with no consultation from teachers.

Provincial strike vote information meeting

OECTA will be taking a provincial strike vote on November 12 and 13. Before the vote there will be information meetings across the province so members can get informed on bargaining. We encourage all OECTA members to attend so you can be informed to vote yes. A strong strike vote empowers the provincial bargaining team to proceed with the full support of the members.

The HEU recognizes that this meeting was booked by provincial on the first Monday of the month, which is usually a staff meeting day. If you have a staff meeting but would like to attend, speak to your principal about being released in time. The board is aware of the meeting and has indicated it will be flexible with requests from members to attend. We appreciate the HCDSB working with the unit to allow members to attend this important meeting.

Together for Publicly Funded Education rallies

Save the date: Saturday, October 24, with rallies in Toronto, Sudbury, London, Ottawa and Thunder Bay.

September 16 Solidarity Day

Tomorrow, Wednesday, September 16, OECTA will join education affiliates across Ontario in a province-wide Day of Action in support of publicly funded education.

You are encouraged to participate in this voluntary solidarity activity by wearing red clothing, accessories, and/or RedForED buttons. You can add purple clothing or accessories where possible, to demonstrate solidarity with our CUPE colleagues.

At this important stage of central bargaining, this visible show of solidarity will demonstrate that Catholic teachers stand united with teachers and education workers across Ontario in support of our respective bargaining teams and our shared priorities for students, members, and publicly funded education.

There will be prizes, so send your pictures to tarahambly@haltonoecta.ca to be entered to win.

Halton strike vote information meeting

It was announced yesterday that OECTA will be taking a provincial strike vote on November 12 and 13.

Before the vote there will be information meetings across the province so members can get informed on bargaining. We encourage all OECTA members to attend a meeting so you can be informed to vote yes on November 12 and 13. A strong strike vote empowers the provincial bargaining team to proceed with the full support of the members.

From OTIP

Back-to-school driving safety. As September unfolds, Ontario’s roads grow noticeably busier with students and staff returning to school. This leads to heavier traffic, crowded school zones, and more pedestrians and cyclists. Whether you are dropping off your children, commuting, or passing through a school zone, staying alert to these seasonal changes is key to keeping everyone safe. Read more at otip.com.

September quote offer. Get a car, home or leisure insurance quote in September for a chance to win $1,000 cash, plus a $20 gift card when you get a quote. Call 1-888-892-4935 and mention this offer.

The AI Doc. For anyone who missed the spring screening, this documentary on the pros, cons and ethics of AI is now available on major streaming platforms.

ISSAC

Under the collective agreement the ISSAC committee is to meet at least three times a year, and the OECTA/CBC rep sits on the committee. Its mandate is to:

• Participate in the development of all final supervision and non-classroom teacher schedules.
• Provide suggestions to ensure the efficient operation of banked planning time and the reimbursement of planning time in each school.
• Participate in the development of the first aid providers schedules where applicable.
• Provide suggestions to ensure efficient operation of banked excessive supervision minutes and reimbursement of those minutes.

All decisions shall be arrived at by consensus where appropriate. If consensus cannot be reached, the decision of the principal shall be final.

Kindergarten teachers are to appear on the school supervision schedule like all other teachers.

Curriculum night

As per our minutes of settlement with the board over grievances filed on this matter: the parties acknowledge that it is within the board’s management rights to establish the framework and structure of curriculum night, including determining the schedule, format and topics to be discussed. The board acknowledges that teachers will exercise their professional judgement in delivering the curriculum night content, which will include the prescribed topics.

It is your professional judgement how you deliver the curriculum night content. If there are problems or concerns at your school, reach out to the unit office.

Sick leave

Permanent full-time teachers get 11 sick days paid at 100 per cent and an additional 120 STLD days paid at 90 per cent. If you did not use all 11 sick days last school year, those become top-up days this year, and each top-up day will top up 10 STLD days to 100 per cent.

Part-time teachers and LTOs have their days prorated to their FTE. LTOs do not get top-up days.

The board can request medical confirmation for any absence of five or more consecutive days, done through the FAF form found in the collective agreement. If the board requests medical confirmation, it is required to reimburse you the cost of obtaining it. Never provide the board with a diagnosis, only a general nature of illness.

If you have questions or are looking for more information on taking a medical leave, reach out to the unit office for assistance.

Teachers are colleagues

A friendly reminder that all OECTA members are colleagues and one cannot direct another. This includes teacher in charge, SPTL, SERT, itinerants, co-ordinators, consultants and occasional teachers. The only person who can direct a teacher is the administrator.

Acting vice-principals are also OECTA members and cannot discipline or evaluate another OECTA member. They are expected to pay union dues during their time as acting vice-principal in order to maintain their status with the bargaining unit.

Staff and divisional meetings

Staff meetings are held once a month beginning at the end of the school day and can be up to 90 minutes in length. Divisional meetings are also held once per month and cannot exceed 90 minutes. Divisional meetings can be held over the lunch hour or before school as long as every member of the division agrees; if any member does not agree, they revert to after school.

After-hours meetings

As per HCDSB policy, when an employee’s attendance is required at an after-hours meeting at the same location they are assigned to during the day, the immediate supervisor shall approve a reasonable meal expense or mileage reimbursement, but not both. Any application must be authorized by the immediate supervisor before the meeting.

If the after-hours meeting takes place at a secondary location, both a reasonable meal expense and mileage from the assigned location of the day can be claimed.

Examples include Catholic school council, curriculum night, sacramental preparation meetings, board meetings, and other after-hours HCDSB events as pre-approved by the appropriate supervisor.

Planning time

Each full-time teacher gets 240 minutes of planning time a week and it cannot be in blocks of less than 20 minutes. Any missed planning time is to be banked and paid back. Planning time is prorated for LTOs and part-time teachers below 1.0 FTE.

If you are not getting your planning time, or are getting it in blocks of less than 20 minutes, email tarahambly@haltonoecta.ca. Part-time teachers and those working across more than one site are encouraged to have the unit review their schedule for compliance with the collective agreement.

Work hours

As per the Education Act, teachers are required to be available to students in their classroom 15 minutes before the first scheduled class in the morning and five minutes before the first scheduled class in the afternoon.

A teacher’s workday is 300 instructional minutes. If you work between schools and your day is longer than this, contact the unit office. The workday ends once students have been safely dismissed and the classroom is secured. If you do not have an assigned after-school supervision duty, there is nothing compelling you to remain at your workplace once that is met.

40-minute uninterrupted lunch

All teachers are to have a 40-minute uninterrupted lunch. If you have a middle lunch duty and are told your planning time is cancelled, reach out to your principal immediately so they can find a resolution that day. If you make the request and are denied, or miss it in general, inform the unit office.

Health and safety tid-bit, by Krista Hutchinson

Violence continues to be prevalent in Ontario classrooms. What protections do teachers have?

• Safety plans. Students with a known history of violence must have a safety plan in place to prevent violent incidents. If a student is new to a school with a history of violence, there should be a transition meeting before the student enters and a safety plan in place.
• The ability to summon immediate assistance (Article 21.5 Part A). School boards are to have measures and procedures for summoning immediate assistance when violence occurs or is likely to occur, under OHSA 32.0.2(2)(b).
• The right to refuse unsafe work. Teachers have the right to refuse unsafe work under the OHSA. However, under Regulation 857, teachers must first ensure that students in their charge are safe and supervised.

What obligations do teachers have? All board employees have the duty to report using the Safe School Incident Reporting Form. It is the law.

The board has the obligation to train employees on these forms and how to access them. If you have not been trained on the form, which covers workplace violence, accidents and incidents, ask your administrator about training and access to the online reporting tool.

If you have concerns regarding violence in your school, report them to the onsite health and safety representative and your administrator, and reach out to the unit office with any questions.

905-335-6660 · tarahambly@haltonoecta.ca · kristahutchinson@haltonoecta.ca

September 16 Solidarity Day

On Wednesday, September 16, OECTA will join education affiliates across Ontario in a province-wide Day of Action in support of publicly funded education. You are encouraged to take part in this voluntary solidarity activity by wearing red clothing, accessories, or RedForED buttons, adding purple where possible to show solidarity with our CUPE colleagues.

$750 supplies card

The board has informed the unit that it will provide paper to all teachers for September, and after that you will need to use the $750 funds going forward.

There are still many questions and concerns surrounding the cards, and information will be shared as it becomes available. What we do know is that this is not new money from the government, but funds moved from another budget line to cover the expense.

The card is to be given to each class, so no non-classroom teacher will be given one. They will be expected to work with their classroom colleagues to ensure supplies are provided for the classes.

Collective agreement

The collective agreement expired on August 31, 2026. We have entered provincial bargaining, so at this time the agreement is in a freeze period.

The salary grid and daily OT rate do not change; they remain at the September 2025 amounts until new amounts are negotiated and ratified. You can still move up or across the grid as applicable. It is the grid itself that remains unchanged.

Salary adjustments

If you took a course over the summer to move up the grid, remember to apply for a recalculation through QECO. Once submitted, send the QR code to Colleen Oldman and copy Anah Figueiredo.

For a September 1 adjustment the course must be completed before September 1, and the statement of evaluation or confirmation notice must be submitted before December 31. Do not delay in sending the email to the board.

If you have taken an AQ course you may be eligible for the HEU PD subsidy. For an application form, email admin@haltonoecta.ca.

Class sizes

As per Ministry requirements:

• Primary classes, grades 1 to 3, are capped at 20 students. Ten per cent of primary classes in the HCDSB can be between 20 and 23. No primary class is to be over 23.
• Junior classes, grades 4 to 8, are to have a board average of 24.5 students.
• Kindergarten classes are to average 26 students and are not to exceed 29, however 10 per cent of kindergarten classes in the HCDSB can be between 29 and 32. No kindergarten class is to exceed 32.

Redundancy

As of yesterday all redundant teachers were recalled. That means part-time teachers who submitted a request to increase their FTE before February 28 get priority for open positions: before offering permanent vacancies to occasional or external hires, the board shall first offer them to qualified part-time teachers who indicated an interest in full-time assignments. This is done by seniority.

Once those increases are made, the HCDSB can post permanent positions on Apply to Education. Of those positions, 50 per cent are to be hired from HCDSB occasional teachers, with a minimum of 50 per cent hired through seniority. Occasional teachers need to have completed at least one LTO assignment of at least four months whose last evaluation resulted in a satisfactory rating.

Vacant positions are posted for three weekdays. The board shall identify the three most senior qualified applicants to be interviewed and contact them to confirm they wish to be interviewed. If any decline, the board shall contact the next most senior qualified applicant so that three applicants are interviewed. Following interviews the board shall select the successful applicant from those identified. Should there be fewer than three applicants, the board shall interview each and select from the qualified applicants.

If no qualified occasional teacher applies, or all decline, the board may hire an external applicant not on the roster, or offer the position to a qualified teacher on the roster who does not meet the four-month LTO eligibility criteria.

In addition to applicants from the roster, a school board may choose as one of the interviewees a teacher employed as a permanent teacher elsewhere in the province who has applied for the posting.

Under either process, occasional teachers who are not successful and who make the request shall be debriefed by a member of the interview team, who will provide written recommendations to help enhance professional growth. The school board shall arrange the meeting involving the unit president or designate and the occasional teacher, and it shall take place within one month of the interview, or as mutually agreed between the unit and board.