Notice is hereby given that an election will be held from Monday, March 2, 2015, to Tuesday, April 7, 2015, to elect 23 representatives to the College Council, in accordance with the provisions of Regulation 293/00 made under the Ontario College of Teachers Act.
Youdecide2015 — the 2015 election for the seventh Council of the Ontario College of Teachers is officially underway.
Should you decide to run as a candidate, nominate a colleague and vote, we’re here to help.
The information in the following pages — and the next two issues of Professionally Speaking — will assist you to:
Since 2003, the College has been conducting elections electronically. That continues. As a College member in good standing as of 5 p.m. EST on February 25, 2015, you will be eligible to vote electronically beginning on March 2, 2015, via a ballot in the Members’ Area of our website. You will be presented with all positions for which you can vote — with your own region first.
The list of qualified candidates will be posted on the College’s website on January 7, 2015, along with a voter forum and candidate blogs. The March 2015 issue of Professionally Speaking will include voting information and detailed biographies for each candidate. Candidate and voting information will also be available on the website for reference. Where possible, we will place ads in stakeholder publications, as well.
An external auditor has been contracted to oversee the process.
We’re here to help. If you have a question about eligibility requirements, completing the nomination form or need more information, please call our election hotline at 416- 961-8800 (toll-free in Ontario 1-888-534-2222) ext. 558.
— Michael Salvatori, OCT
Chief Executive Officer and Registrar
The College is accepting nominations for 23 elected Council positions. The deadline for nominations is Friday, December 5, 2014.
To serve on Council, you are required to:
To be nominated, you must meet all these requirements. Please note that if you hold one of the excluded positions you may proceed with the nomination but must resign from the position if elected.
The nomination form contains an attestation that you need to sign, undertaking to meet all these requirements. This attestation applies particularly to employment criteria and appointed or elected officials of any of the organizations listed under “Exclusions.”
Nomination forms are available on the College website, oct.ca. Additional copies are available at the College or by calling the election hotline at 416-961-8800 (toll-free in Ontario at 1-888-534-2222) ext. 558 or by email at youdecide2015@oct.ca.
Employees and elected or appointed officials at the provincial level, as well as local presidents of any of these 13 provincial organizations, are eligible to be nominated but must resign such posts and obtain the necessary employment (see “Which position are you seeking?” on p. 64) before taking an elected position on Council.
The election of the seventh Council will be held in 2015 according to the following schedule:
August 2014
December 5, 2014
January 7, 2015
February 20, 2015
February 25, 2015
March 2, 2015
March 10, 2015
April 7, 2015
April 8, 2015
April 9, 2015
The College Council is the governing body of the Ontario College of Teachers. College members elect 23 of the 37 Council members.
Elected members serve three-year terms and are elected from the English, French, Catholic, public, elementary and secondary school systems in all regions of the province.
Principals and vice-principals, supervisory officers, private schools and faculties of education elect Council members to four of the 23 positions.
The provincial government appoints the remaining 14 members of Council from parents, various professions and the general public.
The College’s objects, as set out in the Ontario College of Teachers Act, are:
In carrying out its objects, the College has a duty to serve and protect the public interest.
Council ensures that policies are established in accordance with the College’s objects, as set out in the Ontario College of Teachers Act.
Council provides oversight and policy direction to the Registrar, the College’s chief executive officer.
Each Council member also serves on up to three committees, each of which meets three or four times a year. Some committees require additional commitments, such as sitting on panels for accreditation or discipline purposes. All committees are composed of elected and appointed Council members. Most committee chairs also serve on the Executive Committee, which meets about five times a year.
Council members dedicate 20 to 60 days a year on average to Council business, depending on their committee assignments.
Council members serve their profession, protect the public interest, grow as leaders and develop skills in board governance during their three-year term.
The College provides comprehensive orientation sessions to introduce new Council members to the College and its activities, current issues, policies and procedures before they assume their Council and committee responsibilities.
Meetings are held in Toronto. A Council member’s employer is compensated for the member’s absence while attending Council and committee meetings during regular workdays.
If meetings are held during the summer, compensation is paid directly to the member at a rate of $150 per day. Travel, accommodation and meal expenses are reimbursed.
The Chair holds a full-time position and represents Council publicly in addition to presiding over Council and Executive Committee meetings.
Each of the 23 elected positions represents a separate electoral category to ensure a balance of geographic, elementary, secondary and system perspectives. Each position also has its own nomination criteria.
There are:
To serve on Council, you are required to be in good standing with the College, reside in Ontario and — if you’re seeking a regional or system seat — be assigned as part of an employer’s regular teaching staff to provide instructional services in an elementary or secondary school.
Six of the regional positions are open to regular full-time, part-time or occasional teachers. All other regional and system positions are open to full-time staff only.
Part-time and occasional teachers are eligible to serve if they will teach for at least 10 days during each year of their term of office. A partial day of teaching is considered a full day for these purposes. If you are elected to a part-time position, you will need to remain employed and provide evidence of 10 teaching days each year to stay in office.
If you are a guidance counsellor, librarian, mentor or consultant directed to supervise or co-ordinate subjects or programs, you are considered to be providing instructional services and are eligible to run for regional and system positions.
To be eligible to run for one of the category positions (principal/vice-principal, supervisory officer, faculty of education and private school), you are required to be qualified for and employed in that position.
You are not eligible to serve on Council if you are employed by or are an elected or appointed official of any of the 13 organizations at the provincial level or serve as a president of one of these organizations at the local level (see “Exclusions” on p. 62). If you do occupy one of these positions, you may run for election but must resign your position and obtain the necessary employment before you can take your place on Council.
Those who sign your nomination papers — your nominators — must meet the same eligibility requirements for the position.
You cannot stand for election for more than one position.
If you are unsure about eligibility, please call the election hotline at 416-961-8800 (toll-free in Ontario 1-888-534- 2222) ext. 558.
If you are a College member who is qualified and employed in any of the following categories, you are eligible to run for the provincewide position related to your area of qualification and employment.
You may run for this position if you are qualified and employed as a principal or vice-principal and are not employed at a private school.
You may run for this position if you are employed by a postsecondary institution at a school or faculty of education offering programs accredited by the College and are in a tenured or tenuretrack position.
You may run for this position if you are employed by a private school that has submitted to the Ministry of Education a current notice of intention to operate a private school. (Private school classroom teachers who are members of the College may also run for regional positions.)
You may run for this position if you are qualified and employed as a supervisory officer.
Considering standing as an election candidate? Tour the College — to get a close look at how and what we do.
View the Council chamber, our call centre, hearing rooms, Margaret Wilson Library and the departments that support Council’s work.
English tours take place:
French tours take place:
Potential candidates assume their own travel and accommodation costs.
If you’re interested, please book by November 14, 2014, by calling 416-961-8800 (toll-free in Ontario 1-888-534-2222) ext. 558 or emailing youdecide2015@oct.ca.
Add a couple to be safe
You require a minimum of 10 qualified nominators. It’s wise to sign up a couple more — in the event one or more is judged ineligible to nominate you.
Each nominator must be eligible to run in your category, must be a current member of the College, and must meet the same requirements for the position as the individual whom he/she is nominating.
To see whether your nominators are in good standing, check our public register at oct.ca under Find a Teacher.
Candidate information will be published in the March 2015 issue of Professionally Speaking and posted to the College’s website by February 20, 2015.
WATCH FOR:
The College will provide other opportunities by email, its website, candidate blogs and an online voter forum to gain additional information on eligible candidates running in categories relevant to you.
Check the College’s website, oct.ca, on January 7, 2015, for the list of qualified candidates, their blogs and the online forum.
Nomination procedures have been developed in accordance with Regulation 293/00. The procedures are available to College members on the College’s website. Please contact us if you have any questions.
Hotline 416-961-8800 (toll-free in Ontario 1-888-534-2222) ext. 558
Online youdecide2015@oct.ca
Between now and December 5, 2014, the College is receiving nominations for 23 elected Council positions.
College members will choose the next Council from among the people you nominate — people just like you with the same professional dedication, belief in public service and commitment to providing quality learning experiences for students.
If you haven’t considered running for Council before, think about it now. You can:
Council members serve to regulate Ontario’s teaching profession in the public interest.
As a member of Council, you — or a colleague you nominate and help to elect — might serve on the Accreditation Committee. You could directly influence the classroom readiness of new teachers who will work alongside you for years to come via decisions that affect the preparation they receive in pre-service programs.
Or you might serve on an Investigation, Discipline or Fitness to Practise committee and be a key figure in how the College responds to complaints about individual members.
The Investigation Committee determines how the College responds to the 150-plus complaints it receives annually. Discipline Committee or Fitness to Practise Committee panels hear allegations about 80 to 100 members per year and determine if they will be allowed to continue in the profession.
Council members serving on the Standards of Practice and Education Committee are responsible for ensuring that ethical and practice standards influence the quality of teaching in Ontario.
When Professionally Speaking drops into your mailbox, you are receiving an award-winning magazine whose overall editorial policy and content have been reviewed and approved by the Editorial Board, which is comprised of Council members. The board reviews all material gathered for each issue and determines what is published.
As a Council member you will play an active role in reviewing the content of Additional Qualification courses and a vast range of issues concerning teachers’ qualifications. You will also participate in decisions on issues such as the transparency of the College’s processes.
You can expect to discuss the role the College has in advancing the teaching profession. Each year, you will also — either as a member of the Finance Committee or as a member of Council — decide on the annual budget and the membership fee that supports the College’s work.
These are important topics for every College member. You already debate many of these issues regularly with your colleagues. At least one might give you pause to consider actively participating.
It’s your College. Run, nominate, vote. You owe it to yourself as a professional, to your colleagues, to the teaching profession and the public you serve to play your part.
CHECK YOUR ELIGIBILITY
COMPLETE THE NOMINATION FORM
If you decide to stand for Council election, you will have to include, as part of your nomination papers, a signed statement that you are eligible for the position and that the information in your nomination papers is accurate.
Your attestation is required to state that you are prepared to take the oath of office and whether you are an employee or an elected or appointed official of one of the 13 excluded organizations (see p. 62).
If you are, you are required to affirm that you are prepared to resign from any such position held at the local or provincial level and obtain the necessary employment before taking office as a member of Council.
Review the nomination form carefully. The information you provide is specified in Regulation 293/00 and will help electors choose the best candidates to serve on Council.
The College is required to receive completed nomination forms by 5 p.m. EST on December 5, 2014, by mail, courier, hand delivery or email only. Faxed nomination forms cannot be accepted.
It is important that you acquire the signatures of at least 10 College members who are eligible to run for the position you are seeking.
For example, if you are seeking nomination for the English-Language Public Board Elementary position, the 10 people who sign your nomination form are required to be eligible to run for that position.
Please ensure that your nominators know they cannot sign the nomination form of anyone else running for the same position.
Although a member can nominate only one colleague per position, members are free to nominate other colleagues for any other position they themselves are eligible to seek.
Each of your nominator’s names and College membership numbers will be published in the March 2015 issue of Professionally Speaking to support your candidacy.
The College will review each nomination form to ensure that the candidate and nominators meet the position requirements and will write to the candidate within five working days to confirm receipt. A list of confirmed candidates will appear on the College’s website in January 2015 and in Professionally Speaking’s March 2015 issue.
Questions? Read the questions and answers on p. 71 for further information on the nomination process and eligibility requirements. You can also call the College’s election hotline at 416-961-8800 (toll-free in Ontario 1-888- 534-2222) ext. 558 or send an email to youdecide2015@oct.ca.
Every election year, at least one candidate submits a nomination form in which one or more of their nominators are ineligible. Your nominators are required to be eligible to run for the position you are seeking.
Why not aim for more? Ask more colleagues to ensure you have the necessary signatures of 10 eligible supporters.
Elected members or appointees to Council are required to take an oath or affirmation before assuming their position on Council. If they fail to take the oath/affirmation, they will not be permitted to take a seat on Council.The College makes a Commissioner of Oaths available to swear in new Council members.
THE OATH/AFFIRMATION IS:
I will faithfully and impartially, to the best of my knowledge and skill, perform the duties of a member of the Council of the College and any committees of the Council on which I sit. In so doing, I will ensure that the guiding principle in the performance of my duties is the duty to serve and protect the public interest, which is my duty as a Council member and a duty of the College.
I will perform the duties of my position without favour or ill will to any person or entity.
I will ensure that other memberships, directorships, voluntary or paid positions or affiliations that I may hold will not interfere or conflict with the performance of my duties as a Council member.
So help me God. (The last line is omitted in an affirmation.)
Rien de plus facile!
Pour mettre à jour vos préférences, il suffit d’ouvrir votre dossier situé dans la section réservée aux membres du site de l’Ordre à www.oeeo.ca.
If you are considering running in the election or nominating someone to stand, you will need to begin the process of obtaining the right nominators, completing your nomination form and sending it to the College as early as possible.
Nomination forms are available on the College website at oct.ca under Youdecide2015. The College will also send election information via Your College and You to all those who have signed up to receive it. You can subscribe (if you haven’t already) in your Members’ Area account.
Why should I consider standing for election for Council when I have so many other things to do?
College Council sets the policies and priorities that regulate your profession. Council members are people like you — teachers, school or board administrators and parents — who share your commitment to public service and students’ well-being.
If elected, you will take part in a unique exercise in professional development, working with colleagues from across Ontario and contributing to discussions and decisions on matters of importance to the profession.
How do I know if I am eligible to stand for election to the College Council?
If you are a College member in good standing, reside in Ontario and meet the specific eligibility requirements for any position, you are eligible to run.
Candidates for the 19 regional and system positions must be employed by their board as regular teaching staff on a full-time basis (most positions) or a part-time basis (some positions). Elected Council members may not hold or be seconded to any other position.
Can I run for more than one position?
No. You can stand for nomination in one category only.
How many positions are available and what are the eligibility requirements?
There are 23 positions. Four are designated for supervisory officers, principals/vice-principals, faculties of education and private schools. Six regional and seven system positions are open to full-time regular teaching staff. Six regional positions are open to full-time as well as part-time regular teaching staff.
Are there exceptions to the eligibility requirements?
Yes. Employees of the Ontario College of Teachers are not eligible to stand for nomination.
Candidates who are employed by or hold an elected or appointed position in one of the 13 specified federation, professional or government organizations at the local or provincial level must sign an attestation that they will resign from that position if elected to Council. These organizations are listed on p. 62.
Can I be a candidate if I am a College member in good standing and I am retired or teach occasionally?
If you taught 10 days in the 12 months preceding December 5, 2014, you can seek nomination for one of the six regional positions open to part-time teachers.
Some positions are open only to full-time classroom teachers. How are full-time and part-time defined?
A full-time teacher is one who is employed as part of any employer’s regular teaching staff and who is assigned in a regular timetable to provide instruction to elementary or secondary school students on a full-time basis.
A part-time teacher is one who is employed as a part of any employer’s regular teaching staff and assigned in a regular timetable to provide instruction to elementary or secondary school students on less than a full-time basis or to teach on an occasional basis.
Part-time teachers must teach a minimum of 10 days per year during their term on Council.
Are teacher-librarians, guidance counsellors, consultants and other College members who are employed full or part time eligible to stand for election?
Yes. They are considered classroom teachers and are eligible to run for positions open to those who are full-time or part-time classroom teachers.
How do I get nominated?
If you wish to be a candidate, you are required to send a completed nomination form to the Registrar by 5 p.m. EST on December 5, 2014. Forms are available from the College or on its website.
You will need the signatures of 10 College members who, at the time of signing, are eligible to run for the position you are seeking and who have not signed the nomination form of anyone else for the same position.
When will I know if I have been confirmed as a candidate?
The Registrar will respond to your nomination in writing within five business days.
As an official nominee, can I circulate campaign information through the College?
Nominees are required to submit biographical information that will appear in the March 2015 issue of Professionally Speaking and on the College’s website. All candidate information will be available in English and French, and the College will translate the material.
Candidates will be required to supply information about their teaching experience, current teaching assignment, federation experience and involvement (if any), other education-related activities or memberships, participation in professional development and personal professional interests, plus a statement describing their understanding of the duty to serve and protect the public interest.
Candidates will also have their own blog in the Members’ Area of the College website and the chance to take part in an online forum where members can post questions and comments.
What is the time commitment for Council members?
The Council serves as the College’s board of directors and is responsible for the management and governance of the College’s affairs. Council members attend a minimum of four Council meetings a year. Members also serve on a minimum of two of Council’s statutory, standing or special committees. Chairs of Council committees usually have additional responsibilities. Council members will require 20 to 60 days of leave per school year. On occasion, work may take place on weekends and during the summer.
Are elected Council members paid an honorarium?
If you are an elected Council member and you are on a leave of absence to attend a Council or committee meeting, the College will reimburse your employer for salary expenses incurred in the hiring of a temporary replacement. If you are required to attend a meeting during the summer, you will be provided with an honorarium of $150 per day of service or $75 for meetings and preparation time that are less than three hours. This honorarium recognizes a Council member’s voluntary time and public service. In addition, the College reimburses members for expenses incurred while on College-related business.
How long is the term of office?
The term of office for Council is three years.
When would I assume responsibilities as a Council member?
If elected in April 2015, you will take office on July 1, 2015. You will be expected to attend a two-day orientation session on May 28 and 29, 2015. The inaugural meeting of the seventh Council will take place on July 6, 2015. Your term of office will continue until June 30, 2018.
I have limited or no experience working on a voluntary board or committees similar to those of the Council. What kind of training could I expect to receive if elected?
Council members participate in a comprehensive orientation session prior to the start of the Council term. Extensive initial training for all committee work is undertaken with ongoing professional development opportunities throughout their three-year term. Current and former Council members recognize the tremendous professional opportunities in governance and educational leadership afforded through their Council participation.
I come from a large region. How can I hope to represent all the interests of members in that region as an elected member?
Council members do not represent a constituency. Council members regulate the profession in the public interest. As a Council member, you are focused on the profession as a whole, not the region or system named in the position you hold.
How can I get further information as a potential candidate?
If you are thinking about seeking a Council position, please visit the College’s website at oct.ca for the latest election news, or call the College at 416-961-8800 (1-888-534-2222) ext. 558 or send an email to youdecide2015@oct.ca.
The College exists to regulate and develop a teaching profession that the public is confident puts the well-being and academic success of students first.
Council members — both elected members and appointed public representatives — work together on behalf of the public. Classroom teachers, administrators, parents or other members of the public make decisions as a Council based on the public’s shared interest in supporting and strengthening the teaching profession. During their three-year term, Council members promote the standards of the teaching profession and serve the broader education community.
Candidates’ nomination packages are required to include a statement describing their understanding of the duty to serve and protect the public interest. Candidates in the election will be expected to indicate if they hold any elected or appointed position in one of 13 specified organizations (see p. 62), and to attest that they will resign from that position if they are elected.
Each member of Council is required to take an oath of office or affirmation (see p. 70) and promise in writing not to take direction from any other organization. Those elected will also be required to report, in writing to the Registrar, all funding related to the election process, including amounts and sources.
A Public Interest Committee made up of non-College members appointed by the government advises Council on matters relating to the College’s and Council’s duty to serve the public interest.
The election of the seventh College Council will be conducted entirely online through the Members’ Area of the College website at oct.ca.
Every College member in good standing as of 5 p.m. EDT on February 25, 2015, will be eligible to vote.
Participating in the election is straightforward: Log into your Members’ Area account, accessible from the main page of the College website, and follow the instructions. If you have not opened an account, you can do so now quickly and easily by visiting oct.ca and clicking on the Members tab at the top of the page.
Election ballots will be available in the Members’ Area from 9 a.m. EST on March 2, 2015, until 11:59 p.m. EDT on April 7, 2015. You will have access to a ballot that includes all of the positions for which you are eligible to vote.
The voting function will be removed from the website at midnight.
Ballots will be tabulated and verified on April 8, 2015. Results will be posted on the College website on April 9, 2015.