SASKATCHEWAN TEACHERS' FEDERATION
Teacher time defined in arbitration report

The binding report of the Arbitration Board provided the framework for the 2017-19 Provincial Collective Bargaining Agreement and resulted in Article 17 (Teacher Assigned Time) being added to the agreement.

The concept of teacher time is defined in Clause 17.9(b) and states that "a teacher's assigned time shall not exceed 1,044 hours within the school year." So, what does this mean for teachers for the 2019-20 school year?

As stated in Article 17, teacher time can fall into one of three categories: assigned teacher time, time spent on professional responsibilities and time spent on voluntary activities to the benefit of the school or system. One thousand and forty-four hours within the school year refers to the maximum assigned teacher time.

As school boards fulfil their legislated obligation to set the school division calendar, they must be aware and communicate to teachers the hours to which the teachers are assigned duties. Teachers must be informed of the sum of assigned teacher time for direct student instruction and assigned teacher time not involving direct student instruction, such as division-wide planning days, administrative days and turnaround days as examples.

Time spent on professional responsibilities refers to the time that teachers control and apply to completing the duties that are necessary to be successful as a teacher. Time spent on planning for instruction, organizing the classroom, gathering teaching materials, planning student activities, and assessing and reporting on student learning would be considered professional responsibilities. Supervision of students during recess and break periods is also considered a professional responsibility and is not assigned time.

Where do meetings at the school-level fall? Are they assigned time or are they a professional responsibility? Meetings at the school-level need to be considered in the context for which they were called.

A system-scheduled staff meeting where staff members are expected to participate would fit into the category of assigned teacher time and should be included in the 1,044 hours. An example would be a meeting being called where the teachers are expected to attend and create a plan that aligns with the Education Sector Strategic Plan.

A meeting called by the principal to support the work at the school-level and is not directed, suggested or requested by the employer would fall under the category of professional responsibility and would not be considered as assigned time. An example would include the staff agreeing to host a community barbecue and the principal calls a meeting to coordinate the event. The time spent at this meeting would be considered a professional responsibility and the time would not be counted in the 1,044 hours. Another example of a professional responsibility would be a staff meeting to establish the supervision schedule.

The frequency and duration of school-level, locally determined staff meetings would hopefully be an issue to be discussed and agreed upon between the principal and the staff of the school. All teachers should work cooperatively to ensure meetings are efficient and productive to allow teachers sufficient time to exercise their professional responsibilities and prepare for their students.

If the assignable hours exceed the maximum of 1,044 hours within a school year, a teacher shall be provided with compensatory hours at a future date [Clause 17.9(d)].

Additional information is available on the Teaching in Saskatchewan section of the Federation website at www.stf.sk.ca. On the right-hand side of the Collective Bargaining page are the related links that include the 2017-2019 Provincial Collective Bargaining Agreement, Interpretive Bulletin and the Task Force on Teacher Time Final Report. These documents have additional text and examples that can support your understanding of teacher time. If, after reviewing this summary and other relevant documentation, there is still some uncertainty, feel free to send your questions or contact information to bargaining@stf.sk.ca and someone will respond in a timely fashion.

The above information was sent to members via email on February 13, 2019.