If your district is closed do you have to use your vacation/leave time? I am 100% stressed about this. I only have 40 hours of leave time accrued. DH and I live paycheck to paycheck, I have car insurance due tomorrow. We need some basic food stuff for our house. Do I pay the car insurance and forgo the groceries? Do I hold on to the little that we have because I am going to be docked pay since I don’t have enough leave. So so stressed!
We are being paid (but also expected to teach our full curriculum remotely). I am so, so sorry. I would skip the insurance payment— that could get sorted out later. For now, you need to feed your family.
No union, but yes we get paid. However, we also have to work. We are required to share lesson plans to our students every day by 9 a.m. We also have to have office hours where we are available to families each day. 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon/evening either by email, phone, Google chat, etc. Our lesson plans include plans from our music, PE, and art teachers as well. K-2 has to submit 1.5 hours of work, 3-5 is 2 hours, and upper grades have a little more.
Post by firedancer10288 on Mar 16, 2020 8:58:43 GMT -5
We are currently off for 2 weeks. We were told NOT to work (our students were sent home with generic packets to complete). We are still getting paid. This means that we will “owe” 10 work days in the summer. It’s all a mess and we’re hoping the district and the union work something out.
I’m a first year teacher.....so this is all new to me and unfortunately I just don’t have leave time accrued. Those who have been at the district are celebrating 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
Post by bugmeetsworld on Mar 16, 2020 9:21:16 GMT -5
We do not have not to use leave and have been reassured we will continue to receive pay and benefits. The district and the union are still figuring out what will be expected of us with regard to remote learning. I'm so sorry you're going through this.
Post by TamiTaylor on Mar 16, 2020 10:01:12 GMT -5
Teacher in TX, so no Union. We are still getting paid and will be doing distance learning. We do not have to use paid leave. We do have to remain in the district’s geographical area during school business hours. Basically we need to be available within 1 hour of being notified to meet.
Georgia teacher here with no union. We are getting paid but have to document our work hours to HR every week. They're still working out the mechanics of this, but we have to provide 30-45 minutes of daily instruction either via packet or uploaded to our online classroom. We're also supposed to be available for "office hours" for at least 5 hours every day.
dirtybella, have you confirmed with HR that you aren't going to get paid? If so, forget about the car insurance and buy the groceries. Also see if you're eligible to file for any additional benefits after your leave runs out.
Post by wanderingback on Mar 16, 2020 10:46:30 GMT -5
Not a teacher, but our household has lost over half our pay due to this. We had savings, but used it the past few months with the assumption that my SO would be getting paid a significant amount starting the end of this month, but everything is now cancelled of course.
So to answer your question we've prioritized mortgage, rent (yes we have both, ugh) and food. Everything else isn't getting paid right now or going on a credit card. I would call your car insurance to see if there are any options as clearly there are A LOT of people in the same situation. If for whatever reason your insurance company isn't negotiable and your insurance will lapse I'd probably use public transport/lyft/uber/delivery to get groceries since we shouldn't really be going anywhere else anyway. I like having a plan for different scenarios as it helps me stay calm. So sorry you're also going through this.
Upstate NY teacher. We are not required to do anything, in fact not allowed on school grounds for the next 4 weeks, and have been told everyone will continue to be paid (including term subs and hourly employees). I am feeling so skeptical of everything. Fingers crossed for everyone.
Have you reached out to food banks or your local church/temple to see if they have options for you? Sometimes you can get gift cards for gas and food. There is no shame is using these options if that is what you have to do. I would also call your house member or local official to we have you might be able to get in terms of aid.
I would actually get in touch with HR before anything else. Perhaps there is a pool where people can donate leave, or perhaps you can borrow from your future leave balance? If they haven't said anything yet i wouldn't be surprised if you had some option for at least partial pay.
Post by killercupcake on Mar 16, 2020 11:42:22 GMT -5
Counselor, but on a teacher contract. We’re being paid. The governor said our positions have already been budgeted and funded through the end of the year.
We’re still unclear about whether or not they’ll add days on to the end of the year though.
Post by dirtybella on Mar 16, 2020 18:25:13 GMT -5
Update: I was able to talk to progressive and they are moving my payment back a month. Super helpful! However, my district HR hasn’t given us much. They just keep saying they are “meeting this afternoon” and more details about pay dates and expectations will be coming.
Post by wildfloweragain on Mar 16, 2020 19:02:53 GMT -5
Union, paid, provide online instruction and a bunch more that I can't process right now. Our day was fast changing today. I know we have to respond to emails, have office hours, be checking on students and send out messages. Oh log into a few different school sites and do whatever it says to do. But not go into school for 4 weeks. One of those weeks is Spring Break and we do not have to respond during that time.
Post by Doggy Mommy on Mar 16, 2020 19:53:26 GMT -5
No union, teachers will be paid. Classified will be paid for the first week off (which is all that has been announced - this week is spring break then the following week we're out)... not sure after that. Teachers will be doing online instruction. I'm an AP and not sure what that's going to look like. If I were you I would call your principal first and then HR. I wouldn't assume anything.
I'm worried about hiring for next year. My position was cut to half time for next year and I've applied for 3 positions. For one of them, interviews were supposed to be on a day we are now out and I haven't heard an update yet. I'm hoping they'll do interviews via conference call.
Post by UMaineTeach on Mar 16, 2020 20:25:33 GMT -5
We are paying everyone as long as it takes. It’s already budgeted and we will save on subs.
Each district in the state is doing something different to try to comply with various laws. We are operating like a summer learning packet. Optional paperwork, a list of websites, some books. Calling it Enrichment Learning. Avoiding Distance Learning to skirt IDEA laws.
The only requirement past going in today to make packets is to check email at least once per day. We are banned from the building unless you are cleaning crew, kitchen crew, or the 2x/wk food delivery volunteers. No requirement to video teach or send lessons to kids.
There was some discussion about finding random jobs for hourly staff to get paid, but it was decided that the point is to stay home. Bring in financially desperate people to do random work is not helpful.
I’m getting paid normally, and not working at all. We don’t have the capability for online or remote learning yet.
We just got an updated email from our superintendent about remote learning beginning next week. We are on spring break this week, and he had been super proactive and called last week as an elearning week. 25% of my students did not do the work, predominantly the remedial and special education students. Our state education association did a Facebook live last night strongly urging districts to freeze grades where they are and not make anything elearn-based a grade. It’s going to get interesting really fast.