More substitute teachers available this school year
President of Central Okanagan teachers’ union says shortages were common last year
The Central Okanagan school district has increased the number of available substitute teachers this year in an effort to counteract shortages.
Last year, a shortage of substitute teachers was a common occurrence, said Susan Bauhart, president of the Central Okanagan Teachers’ Association.
“There were countless days that non-enrolling teachers in our schools were pulled from supporting the vulnerable students they work with,” she said.
Non-enrolling teachers are learning assistance and resource teachers who are not typically responsible for classrooms.
“Teachers were also pulled from their prep periods, where they do their preparations for their students and their classes,” Bauhart said. “It puts more pressure on everybody in the system.”
Superintendent Kevin Kaardal disagreed there was a significant shortage of substitute teachers, but agreed there were some issues.
“There were shortages on some weeks last year on particular days, and that depends on the number of teachers teaching on call who are available versus the number of activities or illnesses that occur on a particular day,” he said.
Some teachers did have to be called back into the classroom from professional development days because of a lack of available substitutes, he said.
At this time last year, there were fewer than 400 teachers on the “teachers teaching on call” list, with an average of 134 available every day, given that some had part-time contracts.
Currently, more than 400 teachers are on the list, with an average of 169 available every day.
“So we’re up 35 teachers over last year’s TTOC list, and we’re really in much better shape than many places in the province in terms of staffing,” said Kaardal.
On average, just over 100 substitute teachers are needed on a daily basis in the district.
The district will also be looking to recruit graduates of the UBC Okanagan teaching program this December, he said.
“We hope that we’ll also be able to provide opportunities for more young teachers to get into contracts and on our teachers teaching on call list.”