BCTF ‘confident’ there will be a teacher shortage this school year

Classes haven’t even started yet for another school year and already the union representing teachers is warning of a possible staffing shortage across B.C.

The BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) says there are a few reasons behind the possible disruptions.

BCTF President Clint Johnston tells CityNews his members are facing retention issues, with many educators deciding to leave teaching during the pandemic, either to retire or for a career change.

“There was a shortage of teachers before COVID-19 ever hit and COVID certainly exacerbated that,” he explained.

“I would say, generally speaking, we are short teachers everywhere in the province and situations like this put a real strain on a system that is already, in our opinion, understaffed. There are going to be difficulties with that as we go into the fall, I expect.”

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Like almost every industry across the board right now, there is a staffing crunch that Johnston notes education is not immune to.

“In our opinion, there are lots of solutions being offered that aren’t being looked at fully enough. We’re at the bargaining table right now … and honestly, the pay and the working conditions of anyone, in any job, are really key factors of recruiting and retaining people. It needs to be a sustainable profession. We’re in one of the most expensive provinces and certainly if you’re in Vancouver one of the most expensive in the world … so people need to be able to make it a career.”

In addition to better wages, Johnston says the BCTF is also demanding smaller classroom sizes and, what he describes, as a reasonable workload.

He says this is a “huge, significant” issue.

“Work keeps getting added to teachers’ plates and not much comes off often, so we need to make sure that we’re attracting people. We need to make sure the pay is good enough that people can live where they are and that the workload is a workload that allows people to contemplate a 30- or 35-year career, rather than just make it through a year or two. Workload and the salary are probably the two key points,” Johnston explained.

Meanwhile, teacher shortages aren’t just a B.C. problem. Concerns have also been raised across North America and around the world.

“People viewed it as mostly a rural and remote problem, which for sometime it was, but it’s actually pervasive around the province now and the difficulty of getting replacements in so, if you’re talking about shortages, I’m actually confident there will be for sure but what affect COVID-19 has on how severe those shortages are is what, I think, we’ll all have to see as we go into the fall.”

The virus is the wildcard. The BCTF says there isn’t a concrete back-up plan if there is a sizeable outbreak in a classroom or school. The union also notes most full-time teachers are only allotted 15 sick days in a school year and on-call teachers usually have none.

If you have your child’s upcoming school schedule already or notice issues during the year, Johnston says it’s critical for parents to go to the district.

“We represent teachers, but we don’t hire teachers. If you feel there’s a shortage and it’s affecting you and your child’s education then I would encourage you to approach the district about it and let them know your concerns so they can convey those on to the Ministry [of Education] and the government. That gives momentum when we’re sitting at tables putting forward these ideas — if there’s pressure coming from parents who would like to see more done.”

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Johnston confirms the BCTF’s most recent collective bargaining agreement expired earlier in the summer, but he assures parents the union is still at the bargaining table and not considering striking as an option at this time.

As for the province, the Ministry of Education says it’s aware that “record low unemployment is contributing to a tight labour market.

“It’s a reality for many jurisdictions across Canada, including in B.C. and our K-12 education system,” the ministry said in a statement to CityNews.

“The Ministry of Education and Child Care has been working very closely with our partners across the education system to look at workforce needs. We understand there are a few school districts facing workforce challenges, and we will continue to support recruitment and retention in those communities.”