Education minister says BC has almost reached its teacher hiring goal
Posted March 9, 2018 11:48 am.
Last Updated March 9, 2018 11:51 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
NEW WESTMINSTER (NEWS 1130) – BC’s teacher shortage is slowly shrinking.
The province says it’s well on its way to meeting its target after a Supreme Court of Canada ruling reduced the number of kids one teacher can handle.
As Education Minister Rob Fleming announced a new, bigger school to replace New Westminster’s aging Richard McBride Elementary, he was asked whether there would be enough teachers to fill it and other schools across the province.
“Districts right across British Columbia have done a pretty incredible job this year, hiring the largest new hiring of teachers in generations in British Columbia — 3,700 teachers. We’re somewhere around 95 per cent complete.”
“Many districts are in a position where they’ve competed all their hiring. That’s where the majority of them are at. Some of them are looking to replace the teachers on call — the substitute teachers,” adds Fleming.
He says the province is also focusing on hiring more substitute and specialty teachers — like French and Special Needs. But he stopped short of saying whether specialty teachers should be paid more for their expertise and scarcity.
“I’m sure some of the issues… will be discussion that we’ll have as we get towards negotiations for a contract with the BC Teachers’ Federation.”
