Did you cover someone’s class during your prep time last year? Probably!
If you lost prep-time last year, your school should be making arrangements with you to make up your lost prep time, if they have not yet done so. This process should happen *in collaboration* with teachers, in advance. If you get a call on Monday morning, and someone says something like, “Hey, you’re owed prep-time, there’s a TOC available next block!”and that doesn’t work for you, feel free to say so! It shouldn’t be a last-minute, stressful situation for you.
The District is making an effort to dispatch TTOCs to schools this month to provide prep recovery, because demand for TTOCs is lower than it will be at other times this year. Please note, however, that the employer cannot compel someone to take their recovered prep at a time when they don’t want it. Article D.4.9.c. says “The employee shall be entitled to compensatory preparation time at a time agreed to as convenient to the school administration and the employees concerned.” As the language indicates, the time must be agreed to by both the teacher and the school. Our suggestion is for members to identify some possible times for prep recovery, and discuss the matter with admin to see whether it can be arranged.
Under the collective agreement, the remedy for lost prep time for contract teachers (as opposed to TTOCs) is to receive prep recovery. Unrecovered prep carries over to the following year. If your lost prep-time was not made up last year, and you have moved to a different school this year, your lost prep-time should move with you. Check with the clerk at your new school to ensure that they have an accurate record of your prep-time credit. Keep track on a personal record too!
There is no entitlement to money for lost prep; although the District has occasionally paid out unrecovered prep on a without-prejudice basis, it is declining to do so at the moment.
If you have a question in regards to Lost Prep Time, please contact one of the Grievance Officers, Amrit Sanghe at grieve1@surreyteachers.org or Kelli O’Malley at grieve2@surreyteachers.org or call the STA office at (604) 594-5353.