The Alberta Teachers’ Association

The following information is provided to Local Substitute Teacher Representatives and/or Substitute Teacher Chairs of Local Substitute Teachers’ Groups to consider in the administration of their duties.

1.   Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA)––www.teachers.ab.ca

a.   Ensure you have an ATA account to access member-only areas
b.   Barnett House: 1-800-232-7208
c.    Southern Alberta Regional Office (SARO) at
1-800-332-1280 – Provincial Substitute Teachers Committee

2.   ATA Substitute Teacher Resources online

a.   Substitute Teacher Resources are available on the ATA’s website www.teachers.ab.ca. Go to My ATA > Professional Resources > Substitute Teachers Resources
b.   Monograph – Substitute Teachers: Professional Replacement – Integration into the School System click here or go to www.teachers.ab.ca. > News and Info > Publications > Teachers as Professionals > Substitute Teachers: Professional Replacements.

3.   Contact the ATA to be added to the Provincial Local Substitute Teachers Group List

a.   Southern Alberta Regional Office (SARO) mssaro@ata.ab.ca, 403-265-2672 or 1-800-332-1280.

4.   Consider creating a Local ATA contact list:

a.   Local Executive Committee members
b.   Local Teacher Welfare Committee members

5.   Consider creating a School District contact list:

Human Resources: manager or director, dispatch, payroll
Information Technology (IT) department
Professional Learning Coordinator or equivalent title

6.   Topics to consider for Local Substitute Teachers group

a.   How to start a local Substitute Teachers group (see section 2 of this monograph)
b.   Frame of Reference (see section 2 of this monograph)
c.    How to determine which local you belong to if you work in more than one local
d.   Local financial considerations:

i.    Organizing at least two general meetings - fall and spring
ii.   Organizing Professional Development sessions
iii.  Provision of members’ mileage expenses to travel to meetings
iv.  Facilitating attendance of some members at the Annual Substitute Teachers’ Conference

e.   Provide a forum to hear and address substitute teachers’ concerns
f.    Provide for communication between the local executive committee and the substitute teachers’ group

7.   Planning Professional Development sessions

a.   Venue suggestions: school gym, school library, school district meeting rooms, local ATA office

i.    Serve food - Consider catering and venues that your local ATA or school district currently use

b.   Speakers

i.    ATA sessions available online at My ATA > Professional Development > Workshops, Courses and Presentations
ii.   Local district teachers: search for teachers willing to lead topics of interest to substitute teachers (examples could include classroom teachers, administrators, HR staff, Teachers’ Convention presenters)
iii.  Local community sources: businesses, YMCA, science centres, libraries, post secondary instructors

8.   Creating and maintaining community

a.   Create and maintain a relationship between local executive, substitute teacher group and school district personnel

i.    Arrange for a meeting between your local ATA president, HR director/manager and the Chair of your Substitute Teacher Group, to maintain open communications to address issues specific to substitute teachers
ii.   Assist in holding an annual fall orientation for substitute teachers
iii.  Collect personal emails from substitute teachers for local use
iv.  Request the school district to mass email substitute teachers, requesting they respond to you with personal email addresses

b.   Create incentives for substitute teachers to share their personal email address with you

i.    Facilitates registrations for professional development
ii.   Facilitates emailed newsletters
iii.  Facilitates draw entries at any local substitute teacher events
iv.  Consider swag for every personal email account submitted

c.    Create a Monthly or quarterly newsletter for substitute teachers

i.    Digital version emailed out to those who submitted personal email addresses (never use school board email addresses). For those who do not share personal email address, the newsletters can be sent via HR’s consent of mass emailing using their email network
ii.   Post in staff rooms or near school sign-in binders
iii.  Selected information can be publicly shared via the school board’s media
iv.  Limited information can be displayed on the message section of teachers’ paystubs
v.   Print newsletters on an eye catching color, consistently using that same background color for brand recognition. Use the same background color on your digital versions.

9.   Benefits for Substitute Teachers

a.   Contact your teacher welfare committee, Alberta School Employee Benefit Plan (www.asebp.ca) or your school district’s provider for benefit plan information.

« Previous | Next »