INNISFAIL - Like other school divisions in the province, the 11,000-student, Innisfail-based Chinook’s Edge School Division (CESD) is currently struggling with a lack of substitute teachers across the district, says superintendent Kurt Sacher.
“Definitely it is an ongoing concern for us,” said Sacher. “We are doing everything we can to ensure that we have enough subs, but I would say that we could definitely use some more. There is definitely a sub shortage for us and I think you’d find that in jurisdictions across Alberta.
“We are using a number of different strategies to make sure we have enough subs in place and to get by, but it is definitely a legitimate concern for us and we are hoping to address that over time.”
Although Sacher could not say exactly how many substitutes the division is currently short, he says the shortage is being felt across the division at all grade levels.
Asked what he believes may be behind the current lack of substitutes, he says it is likely a combination of things.
“I’m sure there are a number of factor contributing to the shortage,” he said. “It’s hard to know exactly what the cause is, but we just don’t have enough on all the days we need them to come in and supply support.
“It does put a strain on the system when you have administrators who, unfortunately, get called in to cover and sometimes teachers have to give up their prep time.”
Asked if offering more money to substitutes would help solve the shortage, he said, “That certainly is a collective agreement challenge that gets negotiated through that process. I know there have been some significant increases for substitute teachers over the years but that would be something for negotiations to consider.”
Substitute teachers in CESD are paid a standard daily rate, he said.
The division has recently adopted a strategy to help address substitute shortage at the classroom level, he said.
“We have created casual classroom supervisors,” he said. “There are circumstances where we can’t acquire a certificated substitute teacher we utilize classroom casual supervision.
“So, we do have that in place and have utilized that throughout the pandemic and through the substitute shortage. That helps mitigate the problem but it does not solve the problem; it just makes it less of a problem in some situations.”
Although the division is “still able to function and move forward, I know it (lack of substitutes) is more of a problem than it has been for a number of years. And it can create some problems in our schools.”
Asked about possible longer term solutions, he said, “We need to access and invite as many substitute teachers to apply and we will continue to promote that.”
Kathleen Finnigan, superintendent of Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools, told the Albertan her division is also struggling with a shortage of substitutes right now.
