Hiring of uncertified teachers in B.C. spreading, and budget did nothing to address staff, other issues

Teachers, administrators and parents piled on the B.C. government after it released its 2023 budget this week, saying the $8.5 billion it has earmarked for the K-12 school system falls well short of what is needed to maintain infrastructure and hire enough new staff.

The lack of funding is leading to more uncertified individuals being hired to teach children because the additional $6.5 million that makes up the education system’s portion of the province’s $480-million fund to train new workers over three years in all B.C. sectors is inadequate to maintain staffing levels, say advocates.

“There is no clear idea of how many (uncertified teachers) there are out there,” said B.C. Teachers’ Federation President Clint Johnston. “But it used to happen mostly in rural and remote areas, and now both Chilliwack and Langley have put out ads to hire uncertified teachers. That it’s happening in the Lower Mainland should tell use the extent of the problem.”

He also said the budget is missing any special education funding for early identification of students with disabilities and per-student funding amounts for areas that have a high number of students needing the extra teaching help.