TDSB tallies cost of staff sick days

Absenteeism rate above provincial average, report says

- ISABEL TEOTONIO

The Toronto District School Board is working to tackle "the pervasive absenteeism rate," saying it's committed to "fostering a stable and consistent staff presence," which is key to student achievement.

That's according to a report on staffing challenges that will be presented to trustees at a committee meeting on Tuesday, which outlines the number of sick days taken by staff, the cost of covering those absences, and various steps being taken in response.

"The high utilization of sick leave at TDSB has far-reaching implications and unintended consequences on the learning achievement of students, and the work experience of staff," reads the report.

In 2022-23, permanent TDSB employees took an average of about 20 sick days, compared with the provincial average of 16.

When looking at data since 2018, the TDSB average is consistently higher, but the trend lines are similar, so when the number of sick days provincewide goes up or down, the same thing occurs at the TDSB.

Absence data by employee group, for 2022-23, shows TDSB elementary teachers were off an average of 20.80 days (the provincial average was 15.88), high school teachers 17.99 days (provincial average was 13.43), educational assistants 27.23 days (provincial average was 22.10) and custodians 25.14 (provincial average was 19.93).

The figures come from the not-for-profit School Boards' Co-Operative Inc., which helps boards improve efficiency.