As Catholic school board booms, uncertified teachers fill classroom gaps

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Despite an unprecedented hiring blitz, some classrooms at the booming London District Catholic school board are being temporarily helmed by uncertified teachers as a spike in students collides with a shortage of educators.

Ontario’s fastest-growing Catholic school board, it gained more than 1,500 students this year for a total of 27,500 across 54 schools. The board has hired more than 1,400 new employees, including 450 teachers, since 2022. More than 450 new staff has been hired in the last eight months alone.

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But seven permanent positions and three long-term occasional teacher positions are still vacant, according to a report authored by a school board superintendent, Susan Nickle.

“In a perfect world we would have certified teachers and very robust roster of occasional teachers,” Nickle said Monday during the board’s first meeting since the school year began. “But this is a very good interim step to ensure a responsible, caring, experienced, to a certain extent, adult is in the room.”

Vacant classrooms are being covered by 25 employees on a letter of permission – a document that school boards can apply for while an employee is acquiring the proper qualifications. Many of the educators working with a letter of permission are just awaiting accreditation from the Ontario College of Teachers to become fully licensed to teach.

Nickle said the unaccredited teachers have “lot of supports,” adding: “They would be pulled at the first opportunity when we get a certified teacher.”

From July to September, 112 teacher candidates were interviewed, as well as 175 classroom support workers and 61 temporary classroom support personnel, Nickle said.

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Posting for new teachers has been ongoing throughout the year and all jobs are posted externally, she said, adding interview sessions are scheduled all year long.

John Marinelli, a senior administrator with the board, said interviews with fully qualified candidates continue. “The intent is not to keep uncertified teachers there for the full year.”

The board has posted their job ads at virtual and non-virtual job fairs, as well as career expos at nine Canadian universities, he said. They have also embarked on multiple social media campaigns throughout the year, the staff report states.

New this year is a partnership agreement with Western University, where arts and humanities students complete fourth-year placements in local Catholic schools.

A provincewide teacher shortage has been ongoing for several years, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which triggered a surge of retirements, according to the Ontario College of Teachers.

In January 2021, Queen’s Park allowed uncertified university students in teaching programs to fill-in for sick teachers amid a “severe teacher shortage.”

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In June 2023, Western University’s cut the two-year bachelor of education program down to 16 months by eliminating the summer break, meaning a student who started this September would be done by December 2025 rather than April 2026.

Earlier this month Gabe Pizzuti, chair of the Catholic board of trustees, said they’re about to embark on the biggest building boom in the board’s history. They have asked Queen’s Park for funding to build six new schools.

hrivers@postmedia.com
@HeatheratLFP

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