Ottawa-area school boards grapple with supply teacher shortage

A shortage of supply teachers has school boards cancelling classes, grouping grades together and has given students unexpected “spares” to catch up on their studies.

COVID -19, the seasonal flu and the surge in RSV infections among children are all contributing to the problem, putting both regular staff and supply teachers off the job as they care for their own sick kids.

At the Ottawa Catholic School Board, classes for some grades have been combined while in some cases, senior students in Grades 11 and 12 have had classes cancelled and have been sent to the library to study independently.

The shortage is affecting both elementary and secondary schools, board spokesperson Sharlene Hunter said in an emailed statement.

The students whose classes are cancelled are expected to stay in school buildings, she said.

“I'm not surprised the board is looking at doing things differently because they have a challenge in finding staff,” said Michele Pierce, president of the Ottawa unit of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association.

Pierce said that it makes sense to cancel classes for older students because they don't require the same level of supervision as younger children.

“In secondary, the students are older and they can be independent. In elementary, it becomes a health and safety issue,” she said.

The situation is not much different at the Ottawa-carleton District School Board, said spokesperson Darcy Knoll.

“While we will do everything we can to find replacement staff, we have had to temporarily cancel classes at a few elementary schools in the past month along with one specialized secondary class. These closures typically last for a day,” Knoll said in an email.

The public board has hired more than 500 occasional teachers since September and is still trying to find enough to meet the demand, he said.

The board is continuing to recruit and interview candidates, advertising at career fairs across Ontario and elsewhere, working with universities to provide placements for teachers in training and is exploring having teachers work at more than one school, Knoll said.

In some cases, non-teachers have been asked to step in when no supply teacher is available.

“If we are still unable to find replacement staff, we may use non-certified individuals as a temporary replacement in extraordinary circumstances. These individuals are vetted and approved prior to being hired,” Knoll said.

In some cases, classes of different grades have been merged, he said.