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PLP: Retirees Exempt; 4-Month Leave = 1-Year Extension

Retirees are exempt from the Professional Learning Program, even if they continue to teach. Teachers who take leave or are unemployed for four consecutive months, or work in a job that doesn’t require a teaching certificate can apply for a one-year extension to their five-year PLP cycle.

The Ministry of Education has announced that retired teachers will be exempt from Professional Learning Program requirements, even if they continue to teach.

On March 11, the provincial government filed Regulation 79/02 that outlines which members of the College of Teachers will be exempt from Professional Learning Program requirements or may be granted extensions to their five-year professional learning cycle. The regulation – and a plain-language explanation developed by the College – are available at www.oct.ca/english/plp/reg79.asp.

EXEMPTIONS

The PLP exemption applies to any College member receiving a pension benefit, including:

• members currently listed on the public register as retired

• current members who retire after January 2002 and notify the College of their change in status

• retired members who remain in good standing so they can continue to teach but are receiving a retirement pension benefit.

Until now, members of the College who retire but do not officially inform the College of their change in status are listed on College records as suspended for non-payment of fees. They still hold their teaching certificate, but are not considered in good standing with the College.

However, the College is working with The Retired Teachers of Ontario to urge retired teachers to inform the College of their status.

The law now requires the College to cancel the Certificates of Registration and Qualification of any member who does not fulfil the professional learning requirement.

"We don’t want to cancel the teaching certificates of any Colege member and certainly not those of retired teachers," says College Registrar Joe Atkinson. "Unfortunately, if we don’t know they’re retired – and therefore exempt from the mandatory professional learning requirement – we don’t have any choice.

"We’re asking retired members to notify the College and provide proof of their retired status on or before June 30 of any year that would otherwise be the final year of their five-year professional learning cycle. That will avoid any problem."

If the College receives acceptable documents – that is, a Notice of Retirement form (available at www.oct.ca/english/plp/retirement.asp) and a photocopy of an annual Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan deposit notice or pension benefit slip from any other retirement pension plan – a retired member will be exempt from professional learning requirements.

Retiring members who want to apply for an exemption should wait until after retirement so they will have proof they’re receiving a pension.

EXTENSIONS

The regulation also permits the College to extend a member’s five-year professional learning cycle for one or more calendar years. Members are eligible to apply for a one-year extension if they can offer proof that for four consecutive complete months within a 12-month period they were on an employer-approved leave, in a job that doesn’t require a teaching certificate, or unemployed.

Members can receive a one-year extension for every year in which they have a four-month leave, or otherwise qualify for an extension. In other words, if a member takes at least four complete months’ leave in each of three years, they can extend their PLP cycle by three years.

Acceptable documents that may be used to provide proof of eligibility for an extension include:

  • a photocopy of an employer letter indicating a leave approval for members on an employer-approved leave.
  • a photocopy of an employer letter indicating the requirement for a certificate is not necessary for members who do not require a certificate of qualification to hold their position
  • an original signed statement indicating their personal circumstances for members who are unemployed.
  • a Request for PLP Extension form (available on the College’s web site at www.oct.ca/english/plp/ extension.asp).

CONSECUTIVE, COMPLETE MONTHS

Under the regulation, a month must be a "complete" month, starting on the first day and running to the last day of the month.

"Unfortunately, we can’t count from the 15th to the 15th or the 9th to the 9th – it has to be from the 1st to the end of the month," says PLP unit manager Rick Chambers. "For example, if you start your leave on March 11, we can’t start counting it until April 1. We’re not quite sure why the government did this, and we’re asking them to reconsider it, but this is something that teachers who are taking leave need to be aware of."

For more information about exemptions and extensions and how to apply for them, visit www.oct.ca ‹ Professional Learning Program.

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