Q: Who is eligible for Child-Rearing Leave? Are teachers on paternity leave provided with the same benefits as those on maternity leave?
A: Any teacher (temporary, probationary, and permanent status) connected with the arrival of a new child either through natural birth or adoption is eligible for maternity/paternity leave. District paternity leave benefits are the same as maternity leave benefits. Domestic partners as defined in section 14.17 of the BUSD/BFT contract are eligible for maternity/paternity leave benefits. Paid Pregnancy Disability Leave is only for those who a doctor has put off work due to preganancy or childbirth.
Q: What are the main options for Child-Rearing Leave?
A: Members can choose between Child-Rearing Leave as defined in Article 12.4.1 of the BFT/BUSD contract, or they can choose Parental Leave as defined in Article 12.4.2 of the BFT/BUSD contract.
Q: What will I be paid while on maternity/paternity leave?
A: If you are using Child-Rearing Leave you will be paid 25% of your own salary for 89 days. If you use sick days as part of your leave those will be paid at 100% of your pay. The maximum number of days of Child-Rearing Leave is 89 days, including any sick days used. Bargaining unit hourly teachers are entitled to maternity/paternity leaves without pay.
If you are using Parental Leave you must exhaust all of your sick leave days and you will then be paid the difference between your daily rate of pay and your sub’s daily rate of pay. Parental Leave is for a period of 60 days.
Q: How will my pay come to me over the course of the year I am on leave?
A: The allocation of this pay over the entire course of the school year that includes your leave is complex. When you are on leave, your pay becomes based on days worked in that pay period. If you have sick leave covering htat period, it is 100% pay. If it is the 25% child rearing leave, it would be 25%. When you come back to work, it becomes 100% again.
It is extremely important to fully understand how you will be paid while on leave AND AFTER YOUR LEAVE before your leave begins.
Q: How do I go about applying for maternity/paternity leave and notifying the BUSD Personnel office of the actual date when it begins?
A: BFT recommends submitting a request for leave around 4 months before your baby is due. This will provide you with vital financial information that will allow you to plan for your leave and AFTER your leave, and allow BUSD to hire a substitute for your absence.
If you have questions about Family Leave or Leaves of Absences, please reach out to BUSD Senior Human Resources Technician Lona Kelly (lonakelly@berkeley.net)
You should also notify your principal ahead of your due date and discuss with him/her/them arrangements for a long-term substitute for your position. Your principal will coordinate this process with the Human Resources office.
Within a week after the baby is born, you should resubmit the latest BUSD Leave of Absence Request form and mark on it the actual date when your baby was born and thus the actual date that your maternity/paternity/ Child-Rearing Leave pay should start. Remember that if you wish to take advantage of Child-Rearing Leave or Parental Leave you must enact it at the time the child is born or earlier. You cannot come back a couple of weeks or months after the child is born and still be eligible for paid leave at that point.
Q: Once my baby is born, can I use sick leave for the first part of my maternity/paternity leave and then switch over to Child-Rearing Leave after a few weeks?
A: Yes, you can use sick leave as the beginning of a Child-Rearing Leave and then switch to 25% days. You cannot have more than 89 days of Child-Rearing Leave in total.
For Parental Leave you must exhaust all of your sick leave days and then you will receive differential pay. If you need to use sick days during your pregnancy you may do so, of course. You cannot have more than 60 days of Parental Leave in total.
If your doctor puts you off work, the new Paid Pregnancy Disability Leave that pays you 100% of your pay for up to 14 weeks would come before other types of leave.
There are options for unpaid leave after your Child-Rearing or Parental Leave end. Please see more information later in this FAQ.
If you have a C-Section delivery and you will run out of your own sick leave days during the 89-day period, you may be eligible for days from the BFT/BUSD Sick Leave Bank if you are a member of the Bank. You should contact BFT at president@berkeleyteachers.org if this may apply to you.
Q: Where can I find more information about Paid Pregnancy Disability Leave?
You can find an informative FAQ on how this leave works here.
Q: If I have enough sick leave accumulated, do I have the option of simply using sick leave so that I am fully paid?
A: Yes, you can use Child-Rearing Leave and use 89 days of sick leave or Parental Leave using 60 days of sick leave.
Please keep in mind that during the first few years after the baby is born you will inevitably find yourself with numerous occasions where you will need sick days in order to stay home with your infant/toddler. The BFT recommends that you try to ensure that you have plenty of sick days on hand for these occasions. Keep in mind that if you return to work with no sick days in reserve and you must be absent for any reason your pay will be docked and your STRS service credit will be affected.
Q: Am I eligible for State Disability Insurance?
A: No. There are no districts in California currently where certificated employees are part of SDI.
Q: If I find that for health reasons I am unable to continue working for the last few weeks before the birth of my child, can I begin receiving my BUSD maternity leave pay during this time?
A: Yes, however, keep in mind that you are only allowed a total of 89 working days of Child-Rearing Leave, or a total of 60 days of Parental Leave. If you use up some Child-Rearing Leave days before the birth of the child you will not have the full 89 working days once the child is born (and same for Parental Leave).
For example, if you begin your Child-Rearing Leave six weeks (approximately 30 working days) before the birth of the child, you would only have 59 working days of maternity leave pay after the child is born (89 - 30 = 59).
You can use sick leave before the baby is born. You may be asked to provide a doctor’s note (though this is rare).
Q: What happens if my Child-Rearing or Parental Leave is completed and I find that I am not ready (or healthy enough) to come back to work?
A: If you near the completion of your Child-Rearing Leave or Parental Leave and you then find that you need to be out longer, you have two options:
- If it is the case that you are not healthy enough to come back to work, you can use any accumulated sick leave that you might have in order to continue to receive pay for the days you remain out. Please note that if you use sick leave at this time you may be asked for a doctor’s verification. Please also note that if your sick leave is exhausted and you are a member of the BFT/BUSD Sick Leave Bank you can apply for sick leave through the Sick Leave Bank at this time. If you are neither a member of the Sick Leave Bank nor have enough accumulated sick leave in reserves, you can apply for unpaid extended maternity/paternity leave.
- If it is not necessarily a health issue, you can simply apply for unpaid extended maternity/paternity leave until the end of the school year. Please note that if you wish to apply for unpaid extended maternity/paternity leave, you should do so at least 20 working days prior to the expiration of your Child-Rearing or Parental Leave. (BFT/BUSD Contract Section 12.4.1.4) If one applies at least 20 working days prior to the expiration of the Child-Rearing or Parental Leave, these unpaid extended maternity/paternity leaves are always granted by BUSD.
Q: If I find that I am ordered to bed rest during the pregnancy or otherwise find that I am unable to continue working for a number of months before the birth of my child, are there any type of State or STRS disability benefits for which I am eligible?
A: No. Berkeley Unified teachers do not presently pay into SDI (State Disability Insurance) and therefore are not eligible for such. Berkeley Unified teachers do pay into STRS (State Teachers Retirement System) and therefore we are indeed eligible for STRS disability benefits, however the minimum time period for which one can apply for STRS disability benefits is one year. Pregnancy or pregnancy related disabilities that last less than a year are not eligible to receive STRS disability benefits.
Q: Are the working days of Child-Rearing or Parental Leave exclusive of any weekends, holidays, or summer break days?
A: Yes. The leave is for working days only.
Q: If I am out on maternity/paternity leave for part of the school year, will I still receive my normal July and August paychecks in the summer and will they be full?
A: You will still receive your July paycheck. It will not be the same full amount that you normally receive. Here’s why: BUSD’s current practice is to allocate your compensation while on leave AND AFTER leave in equal allotments. This means your July check may be substantially different from your checks before you went on leave. Please see question #4, above. If you have questions about the spreadsheet you receive from BUSD of your projected compensation during AND AFTER your leave, we recommend making an appointment with the Director of Personnel Gelndaly Gascot-Rios. In addition, we recommend that you read the BFT Child-Rearing Leave Compensation document, available at the bottom of this page.
Q: How do I add my baby to my medical benefits coverage?
A: It is critical that you contact the Benefits office within 30 calendar days of your baby's birth if you are going to be adding the baby to your medical coverage. You will need to bring a copy of your child's birth certificate.
Q: How are my medical benefits impacted by Child-Rearing or Parental Leave?
A: You should continue to receive the same level of District health benefits coverage as before your leave while on Child-Rearing or Parental Leave. If you go on UNPAID Extended Child-Rearing or Parental Leave you will need to pay the full costs of your benefits. You can find the total cost of medical and dental benefits on the BUSD website.
Any other questions?
Don’t hesitate to contact the BFT office at president@berkeleyteachers.org
Updated 09-2026