Hope you are enjoying this last day of the work week! Don't forget to set your clocks back an hour on Saturday night so you can savour that extra hour of sleep...Today's post is about the Local Professional Development fund. While this is a very well accessed fund, many members seem to still be unaware of its existence. To find a copy of the Local's PD fund guidelines and application form, visit our local website at http://www.durhametfo.ca/ or click on the title of the today's post to link you there. Once into the main page, click on the "Forms" section in the left hand margin and you'll find the information there. Remember that you must be a member of the ETFO Durham Teachers' Local to access the fund (occasional teachers may have similar funds available from their ETFO local).
This year, there is $50,000. available in the PD fund budget, an increase of $5000 from last year's budget. This will enable more members to access money for their PD pursuits. Some general "rules" about the PD fund are:
- Completed application forms are to be sent to David Mastin at the ETFO Durham Local office;
- Each applicant may receive approval for funding up to a maximum of $250 or $100 plus the cost of an occasional teacher for one day;
- A teacher may be granted funding once every two years;
- The funds are available on a first-come, first-served basis;
- Funding may be used for workshops, conferences, professional materials, university courses and/or basic/additional qualifications courses. Professional materials that can be funded include laptop computers, books, professional magazine subscriptions, etc.;
- Funding MUST be approved two (2) weeks prior to the start date of the course/conference;
- The deadline to apply for PD funding for summer courses is June 15th.
Funds typically run out at some point each winter. If you already know of a conference or course that takes place in the late winter or spring, you should apply early to secure funding, before the fund runs out!
Have a great weekend and a happy Halloween!!
