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Why
are you raising my annual membership fee? |
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After
five years without any increase, the annual membership fee will go
up $14 effective January 1, 2002. This was the minimum increase we
could make and still be sure there would be sufficient reserves if
the College encounters unexpected expenses.
The increase — lower than originally proposed — came after a very
thorough budget review that showed this was the lowest possible increase
that would meet current needs and keep up with needs for the next three
years.
Other fees were also adjusted — some up, some down — after the Finance
Committee took a thorough look at the cost of providing the corresponding
services. |
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The College’s financial
state-ments show you have an $8 million reserve. Why can’t you use
that?
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At the end of 2000, the College accounts showed Members’ Equity of
$8.6 million. This included a reserve for fee stabilization of $2
million that is going to be mostly used up in 2001 as a result of
keeping the fee at $90 for an extra year.
Some people have mistakenly interpreted this to mean that the College has
more than $6 million in other cash reserves. But in fact, more than $4
million of this amount are invested in capital assets like computer
hardware, furniture and office facilities.
So, at the end of 2001, the College will have cash reserves of about $2.6
million — not enough to run the organization for two months. This level of
reserve is barely adequate and well below the level maintained by most
professional self-regulatory bodies in Ontario.
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How can you justify such an increase for retired, part-time, occasional
or supply teachers?
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College membership fee is still the lowest one of all the 36 professional
regulatory bodies in the province.
The fee is an annual licensing fee and, like a driver’s licence fee, it
does not take your income into account or whether you use the licence
regularly or only occasionally.
Also, the costs of recording a teacher on the College register, tracking
qualifications and ensuring that work meets the standards of the profession
are the same for all teachers, whether full or part-time. |
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Why is the information about
my qualifications available on the Internet? What authority do you
have to post this information on the College’s public register?
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The Ontario College of Teachers Act says the College must
maintain a public register of teachers certified to teach in the province.
The information posted on the public register is prescribed in the
Act and does not contain personal or confidential information - like
the member’s home or work address or phone number. The information
includes:
• the member’s name and class of certificate of qualification and
registration and any additional qualifications
• the terms, conditions and limitations imposed on a certificate of
qualification and registration
• a notation of any revocation, cancellation and suspension of a
certificate of qualification and registration
• any information directed by a committee required by the Act
• information that the bylaws prescribe as information to be kept in the
register.
The College has provided this information for four years over the phone and
in person through our library. Making it available through the web site is
the most economical and accessible way for the teaching profession to carry
out our democratic responsibilities.
Providing easy access to the information reflects well on the teaching
profession’s commitment to openness and public accountability. Several
other professional bodies in the province provide registry information on
the Internet.
None of this information is private. The fact that members hold Ontario
teaching licences — and their qualifications to do so — are a matter of
public record.
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Why does my maiden name appear on the public register?
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Tens of thousands of College members have changed their names at some point
in their career. Many were certified under a different name than they
currently use. The register includes teachers’ names when they were
certified because without them, no one — including prospective employers
— would be able to verify these teachers’ credentials on the public
register.
Like your qualifications, your name change is a matter of public record.
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