Teacher training funds welcomed

Central Okanagan school district official says funds will help alleviate shortage of specialist teachers

Specialist teachers are in demand in the Central Okanagan, says superintendent of schools Kevin Kaardal, praising the provincial government’s recent announcement to invest in teacher education.

The government announced $571,000 to fund more than 100 additional spaces in teacher education programs over the next two years, for subjects including French, math and physics.

“We are finding there are fewer people who are trained in these areas,” said Kaardal. “We need more specialist teachers in the province, and we’re thrilled the government is investing in teacher education programs.”

The funding for specialist teacher training is an effort to combat the teacher shortages across the province.

“We’re in much better shape than most districts,” said Kaardal.

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in 2016 that B.C. class sizes and composition would return to 2002 levels, resulting in the need to hire more teachers.

The Central Okanagan school district hired 210 teachers last year, and it still has a few specialist teacher positions to fill, said Kaardal.

The district typically hires 60 to 80 teachers a year.

“Now where we feel pressure is on our teachers teaching on call list,” said Kaardal. “On days where there’s high demand, we are sometimes running into the occasional day when we’re short, and we have to adjust assignments to support that.”

While some districts in B.C. have resorted to hiring uncertified people to fill teaching vacancies, the Central Okanagan district has no plans to do so, said Kaardal.

“We want the best qualified teachers in our district,” he said.