Some B.C. school boards still struggling to recruit teachers for smaller classes
VANCOUVER — The need to hire 3,500 teachers in a rush to reduce class sizes in British Columbia is undermining the recruitment effort at the most expensive and remote districts, the province’s teachers union says.
BC Teachers’ Federation president Glen Hansman said a surge in job openings resulted in a “domino effect” with teachers moving around the province to more desirable districts.
“As early as May and June, we had a lot of our current members in northern and remote school districts in the province apply for and accept jobs in the Okanagan and the Lower Mainland and likewise, current members who perhaps live in Vancouver applying for jobs elsewhere,” he said.
The hiring frenzy across B.C. public schools is the result of a Supreme Court of Canada decision last year that restored former rules around class size and composition that the previous B.C. Liberal government overstepped with legislation that the courts deemed unconstitutional.