School staffing crunch continues in School District 60

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – Staffing in schools continues to be a focus as School District 60 prepares for the 2024 school year. 

During a May 21st school board meeting, Stephen Petrucci, the superintendent of School District 60, said he was ‘cautiously optimistic’ about the number of teachers heading into the new school year.

 “Overall, we would still like to see more applicants [for] our positions, both for teaching and support staff,” Petrucci said.  

School districts in Northern B.C., such as School District 60, have been combating a shortage in teacher and support staff for more than 10 years. 

The district also had a substantial shortage of substitute teachers in 2023, and Petrucci expects this shortage to continue into the 2024-2025 school year. 

“Our rural schools are looking much better than they have in the last few years, in terms of positions offered and taken,” Petrucci said. 

Specialized positions within the district are also proving difficult to fill. The district has been looking to hire a new school psychologist for several years without success. 

The district also has a critical shortage of French immersion teachers, relying on teachers with letters of permission to fill these roles.

A letter of permission (LOP) allows a person to act as a teacher in a specific school district for the school year despite not having a teaching degree.

“We will still be relying on a number of LOPs in the fall,” Petrucci said. 

BC’s Ministry of Education offers benefits to assist in hiring teachers in Northern B.C., such as pre-employment hiring bonuses, which School District 60 was able to take advantage of. 

Teaching positions have been advertised across the district since April and March, and several temporary teachers have reapplied for the 2024 school year.

As of May 24th, the district is seeking candidates for 27 teaching and 16 support staff positions across the region. 

Petrucci explained that it is still too early to tell how things will look at the start of the 2024 school year. 

“We’re hopeful, but we do understand this is probably going to be our new normal for quite a few years yet,” Petrucci said. 

The district does not expect any immediate increase in teachers entering the workforce but is hopeful that increased support from the Ministry of Education can slowly improve the situation.