By Greg Fry

Teacher shortage creating concerns in Kamloops

Jun 4, 2018 | 1:10 PM

KAMLOOPS — The president of the Kamloops-Thompson Teachers’ Association says the effects of the teacher shortage are being felt in School District 73 — especially when it comes to teachers teaching on call (TTOC).

Amanda Jensen says that’s most saliently the case in the rural areas of the district, like Chase, Barriere, Logan Lake and the North Thompson.

“Just because it’s more convenient for people to teach in those communities if they live in those communities and for teachers on call, most commonly if they live in Kamloops, they’d like to work in Kamloops.”

She expects the issue to be addressed at the provincial level after the BC Teachers Federation recently launched a provincial grievance on the teacher shortage. That process is now in arbitration.

Jensen says 50 more TTOCs would help address the shortage, though she notes that’s easier said than done.

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“It’s a difficult labour market now. There are lots of teaching jobs that are being created so it’s very, very easy to look at employment in an area of the province you’re more drawn to. So it’s become very difficult to recruit and retain people because there are a lot of opportunities in the province.”

But with Kamloops being a desirable place to live, she says the issue isn’t as challenging here as it is in other places like Quesnel, where there were nine full-time teaching jobs held by non-certified people this spring, or Vancouver, where affordability has made recruitment even more challenging.

Jensen says more incentives would help, for instance “course fee reimbursement and moving allowances.”

And with Kamloops being a university town, she says we need to ensure more graduates stay after completing the education program here.

“We’ve done a good job of that but we need to try to get more people to stay.”