RSB Replacement Contracts - RTU-SER

The schoolboard is not allowed to fire, lay off, or not offer to hire people just for taking parental leaves or suffering from illness. However, teaching is full of immediacy and someone needs to take the missing teachers place. The position continues to be the original teachers, but a replacement is brought in long-term to provide stability to the students. Replacement teachers should not expect any support from the teacher they are replacing. Teachers on leave are not to be contacted by administration or anyone from work. A replacement teacher is fully responsible for the classes they teach until the return of the original teacher. RTU and RSB do encourage coordination if a teacher leaves or returns mid-year, but it should only be a few meetings.

As the original teacher keeps the position, these contracts are termed replacement contracts. They count towards some facets of a teachers career, but not others. They also do not necessarily last a full teaching year. The exact end date of many replacement contracts can be uncertain, as they depend on the original teacher's return to work. The original teacher may also be progressively phased back to work.

Replacement contracts from several different teachers can be stitched together and be given to one replacement teacher. For example, if a school has 2 teachers on 20% leaves of absence and another teacher undergoing progressive retirement, all those pieces can be stitched together to create one job. A replacement teacher will receive one letter of engagement per teacher replaced, regardless of percentage. This results in a replacement teacher receiving multiple letters of engagement from the school board for the same time period. The replacement teacher in the above scenario would receive 3 letters of engagement. Each piece of this job could end at different independent times.

Also, replacement contracts can be combined with regular part-time contracts to create larger jobs. Once again, the replacement teacher would receive separate letters of engagement for each teacher replaced, and one in their own name.

Replacement contracts are used in all sectors, youth, adult, and vocational. Replacement contracts are paid on scale.
There are four sets of conditions under which replacement contracts are awarded. Two that apply for youth sector and a different two for adult education and vocational.

For the youth sector:

In the youth sector it is based solely on the length of the of the original teacher's absence, and when the administration is made aware of it.
1. If RSB knows that a teacher will be absent for an extended period they will offer the replacement contract from the first day. This is most common in the replacement of teachers on parental leaves or undergoing scheduled medical interventions.
2. In the case of unexpected leaves that become extended, normally due to illness or injury, the threshold is 20 consecutive teaching days. This means if you have been replacing the same teacher for 20 days in a row, not including pedagogical days, you will given a retroactive replacement contract. Pedagogical days are not worked prior to receiving a contract unless administration explicitly requests it. A teacher cannot decide that they need to work the pedagogical day, and have it count towards the 20 days. If the administration requires a supply to work a pedagogical day then it does count towards the twenty days. Please make sure you have confirmation of the request via e-mail.
For the adult and vocational sectors:

In the adult sectors the length of the absence must be known prior to the use of a replacement contract. There is no retroactivity in the adult sectors. Absences of unknown minimum lengths can be paid hourly forever. The determination of how many teaching hours triggers a replacement contract depends on the replacing teachers employment link to the school board. Specifically, it depends on whether the person receiving the replacement piece already has a contract at the school board.
1. If the replacing teacher already has a contract of 216 hours or more, then 25 hours and more require being paid on scale and added to their contract.
2. If the replacing teacher does not have a contract, then 216 hours of replacement teaching is required for a replacement contract to be granted.
Chart of what is and isn't effected by replacement contracts

Replacement contract contribute days towards years of experience. You need to meet certain thresholds of days (90, 135) to accumulate a year. This year of experience results in you increasing 1 step up the pay scale.

Any hours worked on a replacement contract count towards placement on the recall lists. In adult sectors, both the original teacher and the replacement teacher receive the hours for the recall list.

Only 100% contracts in your own name contribute to permanence. Therefore, replacement contracts do not count as they are not in your name, but the name of the original teacher.

Seniority is only accrued once a teacher is tenure/permanence bound. You cannot accrue seniority prior to the two 100% contract in your own name.

Replacement contracts enroll you in the pension plan and insurance plans. All teachers regardless of status are part of and contribute to the pension plan. The insurance plan is contributed to by and covers anyone with a contract.