P.E.I. to hire 27 new teachers
Premier Wade MacLauchlan announces new positions in the face of mounting concern over reduced teachers in rural schools
The MacLauchlan government will add 27 new teaching positions to schools across Prince Edward Island this fall – a decision that comes just ahead of another angry education protest planned for next week.
The new positions are being added to address concerns from teachers who say they are struggling with increasingly complex needs of students in their classrooms.
Premier Wade MacLauchlan announced the new positions Friday afternoon at Westwood Primary in Cornwall.
“This is in response to partly enrolment, partly new programming and to address issues in terms of the need to have teachers in classrooms across the province that are giving our students the most effective education,” MacLauchlan said.
The new positions were not included in the education department’s spending plans for the year. Nor was there any mention of adding teachers during lengthy discussions on
the provincial budget during the recent sitting of the legislature.
Since then, teachers, parents and communities have been raising alarms over preliminary teacher allocation numbers provided to school principals two weeks ago. Government would not confirm any numbers, but Bethany MacLeod, president of the P.E.I. Teacher’s Federation, told The Guardian a number of rural schools were facing some significant reductions in full-time equivalent positions (FTEs).
The teacher’s union expressed its concerns publicly in a radio ad campaign and in private meetings with government. Parents and concerned community residents planned a rally in front of the Public Schools Branch office to voice opposition to rural teacher reductions as well as to a number of other concerns over the direction of the education system.
MacLauchlan dismissed any suggestion the decision to add new teaching positions was a response to political pressure but rather stressed this is part of the normal staffing process followed every year.
“This is going to be responding to the need throughout the province so that we’ll be sure that our students, in whatever schools they are whether it’s elementary or intermediate or at the senior high level, are getting the highest quality education.”
The new positions will cost approximately $1.75 million, but MacLauchlan says he is confident he can maintain his balanced budget through prudent fiscal management and thanks to P.E.I.’s well-performing economy.
But Opposition education critic Steven Myers says he believes MacLauchlan is bowing to public pressure.
“This was a rushed decision and reactionary,” Myers said.
“Three weeks ago we debated the budget, and the money for this wasn’t there. They weren’t willing to listen to us when we asked for this all along… now all of a sudden government takes a big slash at teachers in rural schools, parents stand up their schools, which is great, and then all of a sudden government makes an announcement.”
Education Minister Doug Currie argues this shows government is listening to the concerns of teachers in classrooms and that resources for students are a priority.
“I think what we’re seeing here is that class composition continues to be a major issue. We’ve also expanded French immersion programs, and I think we’ve seen an increase in student population,” Currie said.
“My role is to listen. Last year we didn’t see additional resources until late fall, so I think that this is a timely response from what we’re seeing with respect to the needs from school principals in their deliberations with the Public Schools Branch.”
The P.E.I. Teacher’s Federation applauded the announcement Friday, expressing relief their concerns over the need for more teachers have been heard.
“Ultimately, having more teachers benefits students. Having more teachers allows for smaller class sizes and increased ability to deal with class composition concerns while helping schools to offer more programs to students and better flexibility in scheduling,” MacLeod said.
However, the union believes there is great need to update the department’s current staffing model.
“The needs generated by our inclusive model of education continue to grow exponentially, and the current model is inadequate in providing the number of teachers required to effectively deliver this model so that all students can reach their potential,” MacLeod said.
Meanwhile, organizers of the education rally planned for Monday say they will go ahead with their plans, despite the announcement of new teachers Friday, saying the rally “is about more than just teachers.”