Huron Expositor, 2005-04-06, Page 3School boards
using computer
placement for
substitute teachers
News
By Stew Slater
Special to the Expositor
The Huron -Perth Catholic District School Board has
joined several of its Southwestern Ontario counterparts --
including the "coterminous" Avon Maitland board -- in
adopting a computerized placement service for substitute
teachers.
Human Resources department official Carol Ann
Campbell described the service, called SEMS (Substitute
Employee Management System), to trustees at a meeting
Tuesday, March 29. Distributed by a Florida company, it
involves a one-time purchase of communications equipment
by the school board, plus an annual maintenance fee.
"We've already had four new phone lines put into the
board office. All the equipment is here," Campbell told
North Perth/Huron East trustee Vincent McInnes, after he
wondered if the system would be operated out of Florida.
In fact, the contacting, placement and dispatch of Huron -
Perth substitute teachers will soon take place from the
board's Dublin office, which is much closer to home than
what's currently in use: a human -operated dispatch service
in London. According to Campbell, the susceptibility of that
system to error is the big reason for switching to SEMS.
Examples of such problems, offered by Campbell, include
a principal erroneously informing the dispatch system that a
substitute teacher is required on Wednesday, March 29,
when that date is actually a Tuesday. Shift changes at the
dispatch centre can be problematic, especially if messages
aren't efficiently passed between shifts or voicemails have
been left with potential employees but aren't returned until a
new dispatcher is at the phone. And dispatch employees can
be prone to a sort of "panic," in which repeated failure to
secure a teacher for a particular placement could lead them
to put someone into a classroom situation they're not
prepared for or comfortable with.
With SEMS, a principal would be asked to re-enter the
date if it's wrong. Acceptance of a placement by substitute
teachers is achieved by entering a personal identification
number (PIN) by either phone or internet. And, provided
that the board and its substitute teachers provide adequate
information for the SEMS database, no teacher will be
dispatched to a classroom they aren't prepared for.
"There won't be some of the mix-ups that are happening
today," Campbell said.
Board chair Bernard Murray agreed there are many
advantages to the new system. He cautioned, however, that
it won't eliminate all problems, including the fact that, in a
board like Huron -Perth, there remains a shortage of
substitute teachers for certain specialized classes.
"I think it's great and I hope it works well. But it isn't
going to cure every problem," Murray said.
Making a move
Seaforth's St. James Separate School Grade 4 student
Sabrina Meidinger carefully plans her move against an
opponent during last Friday's Huron County Youth Chess
Tournament, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus
Council 5420.
Carissa Pertschy photo
Youth chess tourney
held for fifth year
The Huron County
Youth Chess Tournament,
sponsored by Knights of
Columbus Council 5420,
was held on April 1, 2005
at the Knights of Columbus
Hall in Goderich. This was
the fifth year for the
tournament.
This year, 15 public and
Catholic schools from
Huron County participated
with students from grades
1 to 12. In total, there were
255 students playing in the
tournament. Last year there
were 210 students from 13
schools. The 27 winning
players are eligible to play
in the 2005 Provincial
Canadian Chess Challenge
tournament to be held in
Toronto on Sunday, April
17, 2005.
The Director of the
tournament is Ward Baxter.
Ward is a teacher at St.
Mary's School.
Ward praised the efforts
of the K of C for hosting
the tournament and for
providing the chess sets
and paying for the trophies.
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