Submitted photo of a classroom in Thunder Bay
When if ever will the local school boards have to call back retired teachers to fill voids left by those who have to isolate for COVID-19.
It’s something that Lakehead Public Schools and the Thunder Bay Catholic District School Board are discussing with the province adding new education measures on January 10th, which included increasing the re-employment rule for retired teachers, principals and vice principals.
“Normally teachers they can work 50 days in a year before it affects their pension,” explained Nancy Nix, the Lakehead Elementary Occasional Teachers representative. “The (government) did make this change previously but then it ended and now they’re just doing it again and it’s something they’ve already tried and I don’t think it was particularly effective.”
Nix added that Lakehead Public Schools tend to get more applications from teachers who are not retired.
The other measures that were announced on Monday:
- Expansion of the use of Temporary Certificates to a new cohort of teacher candidates
- Clarifying requirements to allow additional first and second year teacher candidates to become eligible to help provide temporary
staffing stabilization - Alternatives for school boards to minimize school closures, including rotating/ planned remote days if needed and combining classes/assigning students to
different classes, respecting class sizes
Carlo Cappello, the local President of the English Catholic Teachers Association, added their board has been examining occasional teachers shortages for the last few months.
“Having to go into the retired/occasional teacher roster is going to be something that most boards are going to have to do in order to stay open or replace six staff having to isolate because they have a family member that’s ill,” noted Cappello.
Teachers are now allowed to work up to 95 days before it affects their pension.
