Attendance in school is important for students’ long-term success, but it’s also necessary for teachers and other school employees to be present so educational institutions can flourish.
Division administration with Prairie South School Division presented a report during the Sept. 5 board meeting that looked at absences of teachers, bus drivers, CUPE employees and out-of-scope staff from Feb. 1 to July 31. This was the second report about employee absences during the 2022-23 school year that administration presented to trustees.
Teachers
Semester 2 ran from Jan. 31 to June 30.
The report showed 433.18 total full-time equivalent (FTE) teaching staff were employed, with 96 total teaching days and 41,585.28 possible workdays for those FTE employees.
The data showed teachers were absent 5,359.35 days during the semester, or 12.89 per cent of all possible workdays. These absences required substitute teachers to work 4,021.27 days, while 75.03 per cent of teachers required a sub.
Bus drivers
There were 106 FTE bus drivers employed during the second half of the 2022-23 school year, with 91 total working days and 9,646 possible workdays.
The data showed bus drivers were absent 801 days from Feb. 1 to July 31, or 8.3 per cent of all possible workdays. These absences required substitute drivers to work 521 days, while 65.04 per cent of drivers required a sub.
CUPE staff
There were 286.13 FTE CUPE staff employed from Feb. 1 to July 31 in PSSD, with 123 total working days and 35,193.99 possible workdays.
The data showed non-teaching unionized staff were absent 3,370.1 days during those six months, or 9.58 per cent of all possible days. These absences required substitute staff to work 1,841.71 days, while 54.65 per cent required a sub.
Out of scope
There were 45.02 FTE out-of-scope employees — such as managers and superintendents — employed from Feb. 1 to July 31, with 123 total working days and 5,537.46 possible workdays for them.
The data showed out-of-scope employees were absent 803.25 days during that half-year, representing 14.51 per cent of all possible days. There were no substitutes required to cover those absences.
Adding together all possible days absent for the four groups averaged out to 11.32 per cent of all possible workdays missed due to absences.
Board comments
The production of half-year absence reports has been in place for a year, and compared to the percentage of days missed during 2021-22, there was a decline in absences last year — particularly the final six months, said HR superintendent Amy Johnson.
“So, I think that’s a positive. Some (other staff absences) are on par and there’s not much change, but our school-based staff, we’ve seen a decrease in absence rates, which is (also) positive,” she remarked.
Trustee Lew Young noted that Prairie South has emphasized sound health and wellness for staff. He wondered if the division gave employees enough opportunity to “live their lives.”
Young also wondered if staff believed the division office was listening to them and their health-related concerns, had the opportunity to work with their school administrators or superiors in that area and could work out a healthy work-life balance.
“There is a paradigm shift there quite a bit many years ago,” he added. “I would hope that if we were a … world-class organization that we’re sort of living up to what we’re saying.”
HR’s message to employees last year and this year was they are a “whole person” and need to balance their needs and those of their families with their work commitments, said Johnson. Staff appear to have done a good job adhering to that balance and commitment.
Meanwhile, she hoped staff would say the division was listening to them since that is how she understands the current mood.
“Would they say that to me directly if they didn’t feel that? I’m not sure. I truly hope they would,” Johnson said, adding PSSD is a world-class organization because most employees want to work there and enjoy their work — all reflected in low absence rates.
The next PSSD board meeting is Tuesday, Oct. 3.
