Fernie District Teachers' Association

The British Columbia Teacher’s Federation

The BCTF is a democratically governed organization made up of- and working on the behalf of 45,000 public school teachers in British Columbia.

From an outside perspective the BCTF is primarily responsible for bargaining the Provincial Collective Agreement which governs the professional relationship between a public school teachers and the BC school board which employs them. Every three years the BCTF bargains with BCPSEA – the British Columbia Public School Employer’s Association – in order to develop the next iteration of the provincial CA.

From an internal perspective the role of the BCTF goes well beyond bargaining. The Federation:

· Supports local associations like the FDTA with training, networking opportunities, legal counsel, and monetary grants

· Maintains BC’s 32 Provincial Specialist Associations

· Manages and reports out on the Teacher’s Pension Plan

· Publishes the BC Teacher’s Code of Ethics and adjudicates alleged ethical breaches

· Funds research into educational best practices

· Advocates in public and private contexts for professionalism of teachers and the broader cause of education

And more. Visit the BCTF’s website and sign in to the member’s portal for more information.

The TRB and the TQS

The TRB (Teacher Regulation Branch) is the branch of the provincial ministry of education which regulates who can and who cannot teach in British Columbia. You will need to be certified by the TRB in order to teach long-term in a public school in this province. Applying for certification is a standard process, similar to what you may have experienced in other regions.

The TQS (Teacher Qualification Service) is more unique to BC and critical to understand. The TQS board is made up of members of the BCTF and BC School Trustees Association in equal proportion. Its purpose is to evaluate the “professional and academic” qualifications of BC teachers and so assist districts in determining those teachers’ position on the salary grid.

Making the best possible case to the TQS is critical to you earning a fair salary teaching in BC. The good news is that the BCTF members on the TQS board are continuously advocating to make BC a more welcoming environment for teachers coming from outside of the province.

Please contact the FDTA with any questions you have regarding dealings with the TQS.

Teaching on Call in BC

Our collective agreement has a number of provisions concerning Teaching on Call ("substitute" teaching) and as such professionals from other regions might find working as a TTOC to be a slightly different sort of experience in BC. The "mini-guide" published below will be helpful when navigating the specific system you'll find in SD5 and includes advice on managing the call out system and understanding TTOC pay among other topics.

If you have any questions about work as a TTOC in SD5 please contact the FDTA office.

TTOC-Mini-Guide.pdf

312.3KB

New to SD5

The District

BC School District 5 was created in 1996 through the amalgamation of SD1 and SD2.

Seven schools are found within the communities previously within the boundaries of SD1 - Elkford, Sparwood, Fernie and Jaffray - and teachers working within those schools are represented by the Fernie District Teacher’s Association.

Those schools are:

·    Jaffray Elementary/Junior Secondary School (K-10)
·    Isabella Dicken Elementary School (K-6; Fernie)
·    Fernie Secondary School (7-12)
·    Frank J. Mitchel Elementary School (K-6; Sparwood)
·    Sparwood Secondary School (7-12)
·    Rocky Mountain Elementary School (K-6; Elkford)
·    Elkford Secondary School (7-12)

It takes just about 90 minutes of highway driving to get from the parking lot of JEJSS to the parking lot of ESS

The city of Cranbrook – formerly SD2 – is home to 7 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 1 senior high school. Cranbrook teachers are represented by our sister local association, the CDTA.

Together the CDTA and FDTA bargain with SD5 to produce the local collective agreement which governs the teaching profession in the Southeast Kootenay.

The FDTA

The FDTA is a democratic organization with an elected executive consisting of:

The President

The president oversees the day-to-day executive and administrative affairs of the FDTA as the presiding officer of the association. They are a member, ex officio, of almost all local committees including FDTA representation and they lead our delegation to the BCTF annual general meeting. The president is our spokesperson, both to the public and to private associations. The president is released from their other duties as an employee of SD5; the presidency is a full time job.

The Vice-President

The Vice President performs the duties of the president in their absence and takes on other duties as assigned by the executive. They may sit on local committees, or may represent local interests in BCTF committees and working groups. Unlike the case in some other locals our VP is not released from their other duties as a district employee.

The Local Representative and Alternate LR

The LR attends BCTF Representative Assemblies and the Annual General Meeting, representing our local association to the provincial union and facilitating the exchange and interpretation of information between the FDTA and the BCTF. If the president is our “mayor” then the LR is our “member of parliament”. The Alternate LR work closely with the LR throughout the year and performs the duties of the LR in their absence.

The Secretary/Treasurer

In their role as secretary the ST records minutes for all executive and general meetings and ensures the archives and materials of the FDTA are maintained. In their role as Treasurer the ST works with the office manager to oversee the association’s finances. (I also maintain the website. Hello!)

The Bargaining Chair

The Bargaining chair works at both the local and provincial level in matters related to the bargaining and ratification of our Collective Agreement. They often lead the local bargaining team and report out to the executive on both local and provincial bargaining and collective strategy,

The Professional Development Chair

The Pro D chair supports the members at each school appointed as professional development organizers and represents the FDTA to the East Kootenay Regional Specialist Association (EKRSA).

The Health and Safety Representative

The Health and Safety representative supports the members at each school serving on Joint Occupational Health and Safety committees and represents the FDTA to the District Occupational Safety Committee.

The Aboriginal Education Representative

The Aboriginal Education representative supports the BCTF’s general mandate for decolonialization and represents the FDTA on any and all local committees furthering the cause of aboriginal education.

The Social Justice Representative

The BCTF’s province-wide social justice network includes seven social justice action groups which focus on antiracism, disability justice, economic justice, environmental justice, LGBTQ2S+ issues, peace/global education, and the status of women. The Social Justice Representative may be working in any or every aspect of this network.

The TTOC Contact

The TTOC contact represents the interests of teachers teaching on call to the executive and serves as a line of communication between the association and members who might otherwise lack a staff representative.

The French Language Contact

The French Language contact supports education in French as a First or Working Language in our district and liaises with our colleagues employed by the CSF in Fernie.

The Political Action Contact

The PAC represents the interests of the FDTA in conversation with local elected officials in including city councils, MLAs, and MPs. The PAC may lead the association in publicly advocating for a political cause or might organize demonstrations on the FDTA’s behalf.

The Member(s) at Large

The member(s) at large serve on standing and ad hoc committees as needed and take on other duties as assigned by the executive.

This executive meets monthly, along with Staff Representatives from each of the seven schools who voice specific concerns on the behalf of our members. Finally, the association has a single employee: the Office Manager at the Ferine office.

Union Actvities

Getting Help

Speaking with your staff rep, TTOC contact, or local president can help you to:

Identify possible breaches of the collective agreement and explore ways to correct errors on the part of the employer
Advocate for positive, unprecedented changes in your school
Understand and interpret news about the educational profession in British Columbia
Interpret the code of ethics and identify paths forward in ethical quandries related to the teaching profession
Navigate the Teacher's Pension Plan, your insurance options, salary indemnity, the possibility of leaves and sabbaticals and other questions of finance and paper work
Find sources of financial support and other resources for your professional development
Find sources of financial support and other resources for your personal health and wellness
Network and find other professionals who share your interests and goals

Please don't hesitate to approach your union with any and all questions and concerns related to the teaching professional in the context of the Southeast Kootenay. We're here to help!

Helping Out

If you're interested in supporting your colleagues and your profession by getting involved in your local, well, we're definitely happy to have you. Generally, the first experience a member will have with the union is with the first Annual General Meeting in the May after they were hired. Traditionally we have used this meeting to "officially" induct new members into the association. If you're passionate about our profession, however, you should consider joining us for the general meetings in October or February. Check out the schedule on the home page!

As a point of interest, this is a basic description of what the FDTA executive and staff representative get up to during the school year. Extra events will be added to the schedule in any given year, depending on various circumstances. See the current calendar on the home page for more info.

August	The BCTF holds an annual summer conference at Thompson River University in Kamloops. A contingent of FDTA members attend the conference each year for training, networking, and planning.
September	Individual schools elect staff reps, Pro D reps, and members of the Joint Occupational Health and Safety Commitee for their work site The first executive meeting of the school year is held at the Fernie office
October	The fall general meeting (open to all members) is held. A good chance to attend your first meeting! FDTA executive members attend a “zone” meeting with representatives of other BCTF locals in the Kootenay Zone.
November	The first “SURT” training session of the year for staff reps. The training session is followed by a meeting of the staff reps and executive. The Local Representative attends their first assembly of the year.
December	Staff reps and the executive meet prior to the holiday break.
January	Staff reps and the executive meet at the beginning of the second semester. The LR attends the second Representative Assembly of the school year.
February	The second general meeting (open to all members) is held.
March	The second SURT training session of the year for staff reps. The training session is followed by a meeting of reps and executive. A delegation from the FDTA attended the BCTF Annual General Meeting during Spring Break.
April	Staff reps and the executive meet after returning from Spring Break. FDTA executive members attend a “zone” meeting with representatives of other BCTF locals in the Kootenay Zone.
May	The Fernie District Teachers' Association Annual General Meeting The LR attends the final representative assembly of the year.
June	Final staff rep and executive meeting.