NBTA appeals to Holt government to help relieve teacher shortage, but how?
More than 1,200 teachers expected to retire within next 4 years
The New Brunswick Teachers' Association president says he wants to ensure the province addresses recruitment and retention of teachers, but he is short on the specifics of how to achieve that.
But with the projected retirement of 1,200 teachers over the next four years, it's important to come up with a plan for filling staffing gaps with qualified teachers, Peter Lagacy told reporters Tuesday.
Lagacy said he wants to work with Education Minister Claire Johnson, Post-Secondary Education Minister Alyson Townsend and Minister of Finance René Legacy to have a plan for shaping the public education system.
"We believe that if all can come together and align efforts, it will address both immediate needs and long-term priorities," he said.
Lagacy
said he wants to work with Education Minister Claire Johnson,
Post-Secondary Education Minister Alyson Townsend and Minister of
Finance René Legacy to shape the public education system. (CBC)
Lagacy didn't release the details of such a plan and how it could be achieved, but he did say he hopes to collaborate with Townsend to look at how the number of seats in universities for education students could be increased.
At the start of the school year, Lagacy spoke of the 132 local permit teachers — teachers without education degrees — who stepped in to fill staffing gaps. At the time, he said he appreciated the work of the teachers on local-permit contracts but worried the province was too reliant on them.
Lagacy said he knows some universities are looking at how local-permit teachers can advance their training to get an education degree.
At Tuesday's news conference, he said recruitment is easier to achieve than retention, which will require looking at how to improve classroom composition and working conditions, something also highlighted recently by Kelly Lamrock, New Brunswick's child, youth and seniors' advocate.
Lamrock said the latest provincial assessment results, which showed lower scores in younger grades, are a red flag for the education system and show an urgent need for changes to either classroom size or composition.
Areas of higher need
Lagacy said he has requested "school specific data" from the province to help understand what areas of the province may be experiencing higher need for teachers.
"Quite often you look at an entire district, and some of them have, you know, 60 schools, and, you know, 1,800 teachers," he said.
"If I'm going to lose an upper level math or, you know, a specialist in that school, where can we find a replacement and start looking at those solutions now, and not in, you know, June, July and August when the school year is ready to start."
Lagacy said having talked to his colleagues across the country, he's aware of a Canada-wide teacher shortage.
But he said there should be consideration going forward into potential incentives to keep education graduates in the province and then mentoring those new teachers.
"When I first started teaching, we had a great [program], it was called a beginning teacher mentorship program, and it was really good and renowned across the country as one of the best," said Lagacy.
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CBC News sought comment from the Department of Education, which deferred questions to the Premier's Office. That's because a statement issued by the NBTA Thursday references "an upcoming election" and a need for "political commitments."
However, the Premier's Office did not provide a response on Thursday.
David Amos
Reply to David Amos
CBC Nov 22, 2023
" Additionally, it's also causing stress, anxiety and fear to our staff, who are scared to misstep and find themselves in a precarious situation personally and professionally."
The council voted unanimously to start working immediately on a charter challenge of Policy 713, and to seek a "stay of Policy 713 with all haste."
David Amos
Reply to David Amos
At the start of the school year, Lagacy spoke of the 132 local permit teachers — teachers without education degrees — who stepped in to fill staffing gaps. At the time, he said he appreciated the work of the teachers on local-permit contracts but worried the province was too reliant on them.
It appears that we Boomers did not have enough children to replace us
David Amos
Reply to David Amos
Now many of our children are retiring soon
John Montgomery
Reply to David Amos
It appears that your children didn't want to enter a field where they would be neglected.
David Amos
Content Deactivated
Reply to John Montgomery
You know nothing about my children
David Amos
Reply to John Montgomery
Hmmm
Luc Newsome
Reply to David Amos
If we didn’t have enough children to replace why would we need more teachers ?
Would there not be less students?
David Amos
Reply to Luc Newsome
Immigration is up a lot lately correct?
Changes could be made to the early retirement packages to either make them less attractive to leave…..or as an incentive to stay until 65…..
David Amos
Reply to Luc Newsome
So you say
Ronald Miller
3 ministers with zero background in education, we are in good hands. But kids will know how to brew a great pint of beer and then what type of salad to eat with it.
David Sampson
Decades ago the Ontario Teachers Union wanted to change their image so they changed their name to The Ontario Teachers Association. Members were upset if people referred to them as “ Union Members “. NB Teachers Union followed suit and they too get upset if the public refer to them as members of a UNION!
Note to teachers: like it or not, you are union members!
Otto Wagner
Let me guess…. $10k bonuses
Lou Bell
More holidays and snow days , more summer vacation , and more professional days . Oh , and definitely more money ! Then they MIGHT be happy , but I highly doubt it .
Carly Wattson
Reply to Lou Bell
And yet, still a shortage! Do you have any idea of why that might be?
John Montgomery
Reply to Lou Bell
They can't choose when they are off though. That's a big negative.
Sarah Ba
Reply to Lou Bell
Lou, come try it out. We need teachers! If it sounds like a cushy job, we'd love to have you.
Lou Bell
I could relate a story where a student ended up in 3 different hospitals and the frustrations of staff , until they came to realize the case included the involvement of an unqualified teacher in the very things bill 713 was trying to keep them out of .
Lou Bell
Reply to Lou Bell
" frustrations of hospital staff "
Graeme Scott
Show some respect for teachers....create a system where certain standards of behaviour are expected and required of students. Move away from the wild west system of anything goes in classrooms without consequences and maybe you would have more young teachers staying in the profession.
Lou Bell
Reply to Graeme Scott
Unfortunately , the teachers have indicated they want to run the show . They're demanding THEY set the policies , they get their noses in everything , and then complain about burnout .
Carly Wattson
Reply to Lou Bell
Huh….it’s almost as if teachers know more about what’s happening in the classroom than politicians! Next thing, you’re going to be telling us doctors and nurses know all about healthcare!
Schools now 32 teachers short after 132 without education degrees step in
New Brunswick Teachers' Association says heavy reliance on local-permit contracts can't become the norm
New Brunswick's anglophone schools are now operating 32 teachers short after 132 people — without education degrees — have stepped in to help fill the gap.
New Brunswick Teachers' Association president Peter Lagacy said on Wednesday that's the total from three of four anglophone districts.
Last year there were 181 local-permit contracts across all four districts in the anglophone system.
Lagacy says the association appreciates the work of those in classrooms through local-permit contracts, where a teaching degree is not required, but he also worries the province is too reliant on them.
"We commend these folks for stepping up, now the government must do their part," he said at a news conference.
"We think about hiring those without an education degree, I would hate to see that become the norm, an accepted practice in the province."
Lagacy wants to see reforms to the teacher certification process, which he believes would help local-permit teachers more easily transition into proper accreditation.
"Right now the process to be a teacher in the province, the certification requirements are fairly rigid," Lagacy said.
"We're not looking to reduce standards or de-professionalize the profession. It's more about providing flexibility for some of those pathways."
He says that input from universities will be needed to find out what those other pathways might look like.
"How do we make it more flexible than a four-year B.Ed. plus a one year, 11-month intensive? Are there other ways that we can do that?" Lagacy said.
CBC News sought comment from the Department of Education, which deferred questions to the Premier's Office. That's because a statement issued by the NBTA Thursday references "an upcoming election" and a need for "political commitments."
However, the Premier's Office did not provide a response on Thursday.
Ahead of the provincial election, Lagacy says he wants to see investments into the system to close the human resource gap with teachers, but also to address shortfalls with bus drivers and educational assistants.
The association has previously said it anticipates more than 1,000 of its 6,500 members will retire out of the system over the next five years.
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