GVTA Teacher on Call E-mail List

Make sure you are on the TOC E-mail list!

TOCs are itinerant, not in regular touch with a single Staff Rep, and do not usually attend staff meetings. This makes it a challenge to get GVTA information to TOCs. The TOC E-mail list is the only reliable way to communicate with TOCs.

Your Rights as a New Teacher or TOC

All members of the GVTA, whether they are a Teacher on Call or engaged in a Temporary or Continuing Contract, are protected by the Collective Agreement and are entitled equally to representation and assistance by the GVTA and the BCTF. If you have any questions or concerns, you are encouraged to contact the GVTA through the GVTA Office or through a Staff Rep at a school.

Contact the GVTA if you have questions or concerns about:

• your rights or responsibilities as a School District employee or a member of the Union,
• the hiring (post-and-fill) process in the School District,
• problems with payment of salary and benefits,
• what a School District official, administrator, or teacher is expecting you to do in the performance of your duties,
• the School District is not following the provisions of the Collective Agreement,
• accessing GVTA Professional Development funds,
• accessing funds from the GVTA Benevolent Fund, or
  
• becoming active in the GVTA.

TOC Call Outs and the Automated Dispatch System (ADS)

The School District ADS allows a teacher to request a particular TOC to be dispatched to fill an absence. However, it is the policy of the BCTF that Teachers not express a preference for a particular TOC when logging an absence. This policy is rooted in the regard we have for teaching as a Profession, in the regard we have for each other as Professional colleagues, and in our (BCTF) Code of Ethics.

Instructions for the use of the ADS are available on the School District ADS web page.

TOC A-List and B-List Placement 

At the beginning of each school year, each TOC must elect to placed on the A-List or the B-List. The A List provides more opportunities for call out, but requires greater availability from the TOC. Conversely, the B-List provides less opportunities for call outs, but requires less availability.

A-List - Dispatches will be offered to qualified TOCs on the A-List before being offered to TOCs on the B-List. A-List TOCs must work a minimum of 25 days each year to remain on the A-List the following year - otherwise they will be assigned to the B-List the following year.

B List - TOCs are required to work a minimum of 5 days each year - otherwise they risk being removed from the employment of the School District.

Complete provisions of A List and B List placement are available in the GVTA/GVSD Letter of Understanding.

Publications and Resources

The BCTF hosts a comprehensive web site for BCTF members. It includes the following resources.

• New Teachers web page
• Teachers on Call web page
• The practice of teaching: A handbook for TOCs and New Teachers (910.14 Kb)
• Important info about accessing Employment Insurance
  

TOC/New Teacher Committee and Chairperson 

The GVTA Constitution provides for a TOC/New Teacher Standing Committee. The Chairperson of the Committee sits on the GVTA Executive Committee. This committee:

• advocates for the interests of TOCs and New Teachers,
• advises the GVTA on issues that concern TOCs and New Teachers,
• organizes the annual New Teachers' orientation,
  
• provides education for TOCs and New Teachers about issues relating to their employment, the GVTA and the Collective Agreement.