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Post by teach4u on Nov 4, 2017 18:28:10 GMT
My employer designates our time off as personal (one day), and sick time (5 days per school year, 1 additional per year). However, they do not accumulate. I have never taken time off for the sake of using up days. It's much more difficult to leave a lesson plan, organize the room after a sub, etc, than it is to simply go to work.
Teacher friends have said they always use the days, especially since they can't be used the following year. I feel guilty being gone when I'm not sick.
So, out of curiosity, if you have time off that expires, do you use it up or let it go?
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Post by Really Red on Nov 4, 2017 18:43:39 GMT
Use it. I used to not use it, but then one year I needed more and I had to take days off without pay. Something just hit me wrong about that.
Now my company gives us 20 days off - sick, healthy, whatever. I LOVE IT! No guilt about taking them. Think about the sick days as personal days. Mental health days if you wish.
I know it's tough when you're a teacher, but I think you need them more than anyone!
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valleyview
Pearl Clutcher
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Jun 27, 2014 18:41:26 GMT
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Post by valleyview on Nov 4, 2017 18:47:40 GMT
Teaching is pretty stressful. I think that taking at least part of your days spread out during the school year would give you a bit of rest during the year.
Five days that do not add up seems pretty restrictive. Do you not work in a public school?
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Post by dulcemama on Nov 4, 2017 18:49:01 GMT
We have PTO - personal time off - no distinction between vacation days and sick days, although the company does keep track of how often you take unplanned days and that can ding you in your review. We can roll over up to 5 days each year. Last year was the first year I had any left to roll over. Before that, DD's school days off and half days and snow days ended up using up a good share of my days. Now that she's old enough to be home on her own, I get to take more fun days off. YAY!!
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Post by crazy4scraps on Nov 4, 2017 19:24:11 GMT
The last corporate place I worked would pay us for them at the end of the year if we didn’t use them. Best way to do it all the way around. Another cool boss at a place I worked before that told me she didn’t care if I took them to use for whatever, just to let her know ahead of time so she could make sure nothing important was scheduled for that day.  |
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Post by katlady on Nov 4, 2017 19:25:42 GMT
We used to have the policy where we could not accumulate sick days. I never took off unless I was sick, so I lost a lot of sick time. And the Company used to give out awards if you didn’t use your sick time. Funny thing, we eventually went to accumulating sick time and I got credited a ton of hours. Now, i have more than I can use, but we can cash a part of it out when we retire.
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Post by Dreamsofnyssa on Nov 4, 2017 19:27:17 GMT
I would use it. As my cousin in HR would say, It's considered part of your benefits package.
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Deleted
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May 18, 2024 3:34:13 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Nov 4, 2017 19:30:52 GMT
We do not accumulate sick days where I work. However, we do not have restrictions on how many sick days we can take either. If we need to be knowingly out for medical leave for over five working days employees are placed on short-term disability at 100% pay. I believe that lasts for six months. After that long-term disability kicks in at 60% pay.
After 20 years employees receive five weeks vacation, 10 paid holidays in the US, plus five personal days. We have to use it all during the calendar year or we lose it. We used to be able to carry five vacation days over but not anymore. That's not a bad thing - having to use or lose it. We American's really need to take more down time to relax and enjoy life - we work too hard (at least that's what my other global colleagues tell me).
Basically, take the time - especially if the time does not accumulate. It is a wasted benefit if you don't use it.
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Post by christine58 on Nov 4, 2017 19:41:03 GMT
expires, do you use it up or let it go? I just retired from teaching BUT we could accumulate 250 days...we then got paid for them at retirement. |
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gsquaredmom
Pearl Clutcher
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Jun 26, 2014 17:43:22 GMT
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Post by gsquaredmom on Nov 4, 2017 19:50:50 GMT
Not a fan of losing those days. You are working for free if you don’t take them. Six days here is 1/30 of a school year. What is 1/30 of your pay? Why are you giving that to them? They really need to change that! Forcing you to give up part of your pay or do what is best for kids. Bad practice.
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AnotherPea
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by AnotherPea on Nov 4, 2017 21:08:40 GMT
I'm not a fan of using them just because they are there. You have sick days in the event you are sick. If you need to take off a day, even just a mental health day, that is one thing. But to take them because they're available rubs me the wrong way. Plus, studies have shown that student success is tied to teacher attendance as well as their own.
For me, taking off a day means more work in the long run so I have only taken one mental health day my entire time teaching. I'm glad I did, but I wouldn't do it just because the end of the year was approaching and I had some saved in the bank.
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FurryP
Drama Llama
To pea or not to pea...
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Jun 26, 2014 19:58:26 GMT
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Post by FurryP on Nov 4, 2017 21:11:12 GMT
Use them. Other people are being paid to not come to work. Use them and don't feel guilty.
I used to be in the same situation because I never called in sick. Now we have moved to non-categorized PTO. Love it!
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Post by chaosisapony on Nov 4, 2017 22:01:33 GMT
Use them and don't feel bad about it.
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Post by fuji on Nov 4, 2017 22:30:18 GMT
Use them. I'm just shocked that's all you get. I am also a teacher and get 12 day/year. We can bank 180 days. We get also get 3 personal days a year..
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rickmer
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,123
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Post by rickmer on Nov 4, 2017 22:55:01 GMT
i haven't had it for years... but when i worked in the corporate world, we got 5 paid sick days and if you don't use them, you lose them.
i vote use them.
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Post by freecharlie on Nov 5, 2017 0:03:13 GMT
Our personal days didn't use to accumulate and I still rarely took them, but every year there would be a run on subs after state testing until the end of the year as people went to take their personal days. Now they rollover into our sick days.
I'm pretty sure we get 8 or 10 sick days and 2 personal per echo year. I've never even come close to using them all.
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Post by 950nancy on Nov 5, 2017 0:09:20 GMT
expires, do you use it up or let it go? I just retired from teaching BUT we could accumulate 250 days...we then got paid for them at retirement. I think districts are smart to do this. It keeps the teachers in the room and keeps the learning environment more consistent for children. Even the best sub can spend a day with a class that just doesn't jive well. We didn't get paid for our sicks days as much as a sub did, so the district made money by paying us something at retirement. It would drive me crazy that we would get 10/11 days a year and people would ask us to donate our days when they had maternity leave. You just can't use all of your sick days for fun (or not being sick) and then turn around and want other people's days too. Now if someone had a bad illness or a gravely sick child, we all donated. |
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Post by freecharlie on Nov 5, 2017 0:20:52 GMT
I just retired from teaching BUT we could accumulate 250 days...we then got paid for them at retirement. I think districts are smart to do this. It keeps the teachers in the room and keeps the learning environment more consistent for children. Even the best sub can spend a day with a class that just doesn't jive well. We didn't get paid for our sicks days as much as a sub did, so the district made money by paying us something at retirement. It would drive me crazy that we would get 10/11 days a year and people would ask us to donate our days when they had maternity leave. You just can't use all of your sick days for fun (or not being sick) and then turn around and want other people's days too. Now if someone had a bad illness or a gravely sick child, we all donated. agree |
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Post by busy on Nov 5, 2017 0:25:58 GMT
My prior company, a bank, had six days of sick leave a year and it did not roll over. I only used what I needed for illness. I had five weeks of vacation, so I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything.
My current company has unlimited vacation and sick days, so obviously I can’t use up everything lol
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Post by busy on Nov 5, 2017 0:28:32 GMT
I just retired from teaching BUT we could accumulate 250 days...we then got paid for them at retirement. I think districts are smart to do this. It keeps the teachers in the room and keeps the learning environment more consistent for children. Even the best sub can spend a day with a class that just doesn't jive well. We didn't get paid for our sicks days as much as a sub did, so the district made money by paying us something at retirement. It would drive me crazy that we would get 10/11 days a year and people would ask us to donate our days when they had maternity leave. You just can't use all of your sick days for fun (or not being sick) and then turn around and want other people's days too. Now if someone had a bad illness or a gravely sick child, we all donated. The problem with this is it’s a huge financial liability. |
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Post by christine58 on Nov 5, 2017 0:37:23 GMT
we would get 10/11 days a year and people would ask us to donate our days when they had maternity leave. You just can't use all of your sick days for fun (or not being sick) and then turn around and want other people's days too. Now if someone had a bad illness or a gravely sick child, we all donated. We had a sick bank that when you were hired, you contributed a day, following year you contributed one more. Rules were pretty concrete as far as how/when/how many days you could use. It worked quite well and we didn't have anyone take advantage because a doctor's note was required etc. |
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Post by christine58 on Nov 5, 2017 0:39:10 GMT
I think districts are smart to do this. It keeps the teachers in the room and keeps the learning environment more consistent for children. Even the best sub can spend a day with a class that just doesn't jive well. We didn't get paid for our sicks days as much as a sub did, so the district made money by paying us something at retirement. It would drive me crazy that we would get 10/11 days a year and people would ask us to donate our days when they had maternity leave. You just can't use all of your sick days for fun (or not being sick) and then turn around and want other people's days too. Now if someone had a bad illness or a gravely sick child, we all donated. The problem with this is it’s a huge financial liability. Well..not many people got to 250 days to be honest over the last 10 years. I turned in 230 last year. We had no other retirement incentive like other schools. We pay for our health insurance--100%--once retired. I dumped all my $$ into my 403(b) |
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Post by fkawitchypea on Nov 5, 2017 0:44:42 GMT
When I worked for a private law firm we had sick days that did not roll over. They did go into our "sick bank" to be used if we had to be out on disability. It tended to have employees get "sick" at the end of the year.
Now I work for state government and our sick time accumulates and can be used to pay health insurance premiums when we retire. I don't usually get sick enough to stay home for more than a day once in a great while, but I do use my sick time for doctor's appointments for ds and I. And I take a mental health day once in a while, when things are really stressful and I need it.
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Post by 950nancy on Nov 5, 2017 1:03:14 GMT
I think districts are smart to do this. It keeps the teachers in the room and keeps the learning environment more consistent for children. Even the best sub can spend a day with a class that just doesn't jive well. We didn't get paid for our sicks days as much as a sub did, so the district made money by paying us something at retirement. It would drive me crazy that we would get 10/11 days a year and people would ask us to donate our days when they had maternity leave. You just can't use all of your sick days for fun (or not being sick) and then turn around and want other people's days too. Now if someone had a bad illness or a gravely sick child, we all donated. The problem with this is it’s a huge financial liability. With what part? If teachers are using their days and they pay a sub $120 for each day, or if they pay out $70 to a teacher when they retire, the district isn't losing money. Or am I misunderstanding what you meant? |
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Post by 950nancy on Nov 5, 2017 1:04:36 GMT
The problem with this is it’s a huge financial liability. Well..not many people got to 250 days to be honest over the last 10 years. I turned in 230 last year. We had no other retirement incentive like other schools. We pay for our health insurance--100%--once retired. I dumped all my $$ into my 403(b) That is what I had too. I also had 2 maternity leaves, a fair amount of deaths in the family, but I was rarely sick. That 13K was nice to have. Our healthcare can be partially funded by PERA, our health care for teachers in Colorado. |
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Post by christine58 on Nov 5, 2017 1:19:19 GMT
With what part? If teachers are using their days and they pay a sub $120 for each day, or if they pay out $70 to a teacher when they retire, the district isn't losing money. Or am I misunderstanding what you meant? Well..we pay $95 a day for a sub and $145 for every day not used that we turn in with out retirement letter... |
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Post by padresfan619 on Nov 5, 2017 1:23:59 GMT
My company offers unlimited sick time so I can’t ever be “paid out” for it. I’ve used about 26 hours this year, I have coworkers who’ve used A LOT more. Top 3 employees who use the least amount of sick time at the end of the year get an extra day of PTO. Top ten employees who use the least get a small bonus.
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Post by 950nancy on Nov 5, 2017 1:28:12 GMT
With what part? If teachers are using their days and they pay a sub $120 for each day, or if they pay out $70 to a teacher when they retire, the district isn't losing money. Or am I misunderstanding what you meant? Well..we pay $95 a day for a sub and $145 for every day not used that we turn in with out retirement letter... Yikes, that would cost the district! I will say it is one of the few benefits that some teachers get to help make up for spending hundreds of dollars on the classrooms each year. And retiring before you turn 65 is another! |
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Post by iteach3rdgrade on Nov 5, 2017 3:25:39 GMT
The problem with this is it’s a huge financial liability. With what part? If teachers are using their days and they pay a sub $120 for each day, or if they pay out $70 to a teacher when they retire, the district isn't losing money. Or am I misunderstanding what you meant? I think it all depends on how many are going out at one time for retirement. I know our district tried to reduce how many we could save. They succeeded one time in the last 24 years. They like to say that since we are worth more in our later years that it costs them more. |
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Post by Merge on Nov 5, 2017 3:40:32 GMT
We get 10 days each year. Five come from the state and can roll over or follow us from district to district if we move around. The other five come from the district and do not roll over or follow you to a new district. I always use my five district/local days without specifically trying to do so - illness, doctor's appointments, the occasional 3-day weekend - but don't necessarily use the five state days each year. I have a fair number of days accrued in the system that I'll be paid for when I leave/retire, if I still have them there.
That said, I have no qualms about using those days. I'll take a mental health day if I need it - the year I taught middle school, I used all 10 of my days and dipped into my accrued days as well - and I don't see any problem with using them for things like appointments, or of course if I'm ill. I'm careful about when I take them, as I almost always have a program coming up and can't afford to miss a rehearsal.
There was a big online kerfuffle here this past week, as it came out that one of the possible reasons our district canceled school for the Astros victory parade on Friday was because 950+ teachers, bus drivers and staff put in for a personal day to attend the parade, and they were concerned about dangerously low staffing levels in some schools. Many parents felt that teachers who tried to put in for a personal day to attend the parade were selfish and derelict in their duties - the words 'job abandonment' were even thrown around - and one even suggested that the teachers had planned this in concert to force the district to cancel classes. The actual reasons for canceling school were much larger and more complex, and had to do with transportation and safety for schools around the parade zone, but it was enlightening to see how many people apparently feel about teachers having/using paid time off. To which I say: oh well. It's one of the few perks of our job. Anyone who thinks 10 days of PTO each year makes teaching super easy is welcome to try it!
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