As some 600,000 K-to-12 students get ready to start the new school year, the union representing B.C. teacher is urging the government to step up the retention and recruitment of certified teachers.
British Columbia Teachers' Federation President Clint Johnston acknowledged recent efforts by government to get more certified teachers into classrooms, while keeping existing teachers in the profession.
"Unfortunately, decades of chronic underfunding mean these issues need more substantive attention," Johnston said in a statement to Black Press Media. "When there aren’t enough teachers, we see gaps filled with uncertified staff, specialist teachers like counsellors and librarians pulled from their core duties, and service cuts for the students who need it most. "
Johnston said BCTF — which represents about 50,000 public school teachers — knows that government can deliver what he called "a more ambitious" plan for solving staffing shortages.
"(We’ve) seen it introduce one in health care," he said. "B.C. families deserve the same attention when it comes to their kids’ education and the (federation) would be thrilled to work with the government to make this a reality."
Johnston made these comments after the Ministry of Education sent out a press release touting recruitment and retaining efforts in the face of population growth. It says that B.C. is spending almost $4 million toward recruitment and training as part of a three-year plan totalling $12.5 million.
B.C.'s Education Minister Rachna Singh said government knows B.C.'s record population growth means that B.C. needs more teaching staff.
"We're actively working with our education partners on K-12 workforce initiatives to support the recruitment and retention of more certified teachers and build a sustainable education workforce for years to come," she said.
Teachers shortages are more severe in rural and remote areas of B.C. and the provincial government has been spending more money to attract teachers to those areas — successfully according to the ministry.
It said that provincial hiring program that brought 50 new certified teachers to rural and remote schools in 2023 is on track to hire almost 60 more teachers for the coming school year. This program, worth $1.5 million over three years, provides an incentive as high as $10,000 for teachers to work in remote communities on Vancouver Island, the Thompson-Okanagan and northern B.C.
Government has stepped up the hiring of internationally-trained teachers by updating standards and lowering certification fees. It has also created more teacher training spots at post-secondary institutions and increased financial support and remote learning opportunities for aspiring teachers.
When asked about Johnston's comments, Premier David Eby said he doesn't blame teachers for asking for more support.
"We are asking them to do more and more," he said. "There are huge demands, just like on health care workers and we are going to find ways to support teachers," he said.
