Substitute teachers hard to come by

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This article was published 25/01/2023 (1188 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The number of people applying for teaching positions in rural Manitoba schools isn’t what it used to be, which reflects an overall shortage of educators in the province, says a Westman superintendent.

Beautiful Plains School Division Supt. Jason Young said it’s a downward trend he noticed before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Even 10 years ago, when advertising for a Grade 3 job we might get 100 applications, and now we might get 15 to 20, 30 if we’re lucky,” Young said.

There are 14 schools within the Beautiful Plains School Division, employing 150 teachers. Young said he usually starts recruiting educators in mid-February to coincide with university graduations and to “get out of the gate as soon as possible to hire the best people” he can.

But his search for substitute teachers is a little more challenging.

“We’re always looking for subs,” Young said.

A Winnipeg Free Press report this week highlighted the desperation in the Sunrise School Division, east of Winnipeg. Officials were forced to hire uncertified substitutes, including a figure skating coach and Girl Guides leader.

Provincial legislation allows a school division to employ a non-certified substitute for up to one year if it can’t find a certified teacher.

In the rural school division of Park West, which includes Birtle, Hamiota, Shoal Lake and Strathclair, the substitute teachers are all certified, said educator Adam Grabowski, but he also wondered what divisions are supposed to do when there are no substitutes at all.

“I have to believe that my division would have exhausted every possibility, every substitution list, and thought of all advertising before it came down to hiring a non-certified instructor,” said Grabowski.

The pool of substitute teachers in Manitoba is comprised of recent university graduates who are interested in short-term teaching positions as well as those who want to make a career out of being a substitute.

But in rural areas, 85 per cent of substitute teachers are retired educators, said James Bedford, president of the Manitoba Teachers’ Society. According to him, they are a perfect addition to any school.

“It’s a great opportunity for retired teachers to still use their valuable skill set, and in most cases, they can still work with former colleagues, and continue to work with young people,” said Bedford.

One of those substitute teachers, originally from the Virden area and now subbing at a Winnipeg school, said the shortage of educators is a wake-up call to the government to start attracting more people to the profession.

“They have to put more teachers in classrooms, make class sizes smaller, have better air filtering, and have more educational assistants to support the teachers,” said retired educator David Harkness.

Brandon School Division is also feeling the pain of too few teachers and subs. At École Harrison, teacher Glen Simard said substitutes are vital, and when there’s no support from the provincial government, it makes a difficult job even harder.

“When there’s no substitute teacher in the classroom, it creates chaos. In some classes there’s a lack of continuity and cancellation of supports, so it’s important we fund education in a matter that is sustainable and adequate,” said Simard, who is also the NDP candidate for Brandon East.

If it’s on a temporary basis, then it’s not the end of the world, said Education Minister Wayne Ewasko, adding the “teacher tree” should’ve been planted 20 years ago.

“As a teacher myself, is this ideal? Absolutely not, absolutely not. To have a teacher in front of the class is the way to go but, in a situation where we’re having troubles either getting teachers or substitutes, then at least it’s a trusted adult in front of the classroom,” said Ewasko.

Back at the Beautiful Plains School Division, Young said he already has plans to attract more teachers. Principals from his division will be at a recruitment event hosted by Brandon University this week, looking for new teachers and substitutes.

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com