New funding for classroom complexity is set to arrive in Edmonton classrooms before students return to school this fall, but a burst of rapid hiring is raising questions over whether there are enough qualified teachers to get the job done.<\/p>\n
The provincial government announced it would spend another $100 million to create 221 more complexity teams across Alberta in late June. That followed a previous allotment of $143 million for complexity teams announced earlier this year.<\/p>\n
The province said the more recent funding will bring 16 more teams to Edmonton Catholic Schools, with seven going to K-6 classes and nine to Grades 7-12.<\/p>\n
Edmonton Public Schools, the city’s largest school division, will get 36 more teams, with 17 going to K-6 classes and 19 teams for Grades 7-12.<\/p>\n
The allotments are based on data released by the province in February, submitted by school divisions. Edmonton Public Schools ranked second in complexity provincewide, with 34 per cent of its classrooms having 11-plus students with complex needs.<\/p>\n
Edmonton Public’s total number of teams is now at 131, while Edmonton Catholic is at 58. Each team includes two education assistants and one teacher.<\/p>\n
Edmonton Public Schools spokesperson Kim Smith said the division is working to get the most recent batch of teams into classrooms “as quickly as possible.” The division said earlier this year that the first wave of hiring was to be finished by April.<\/p>\n
Christine Meadows, a spokesperson for Edmonton Catholic Schools, said the division is hiring throughout the summer and is committed to attracting highly qualified teachers.<\/p>\n
“We are encouraged that the province is exploring alternative pathways to certification and are hopeful these approaches will help strengthen the teacher workforce over time,” Meadows said.<\/p>\n
The hiring spree follows commitments made by the province after tense labour negotiations with the Alberta Teachers’ Association, which resulted in a multi-week strike. No mutual agreement was reached, and teachers were ordered to return to work after the province invoked the notwithstanding clause.<\/p>\n
An important point for the ATA during those negotiations was around classroom complexity. The ATA said there is a growing number of students with greater support needs, resulting in a rising workload placed on teachers and poorer education.<\/p>\n
After ordering teachers back to work, the province said it would collect data and take steps to address complexity.<\/p>\n
Following the recent funding and hirings, the Alberta Teachers’ Association said there remains a significant gap in staffing.<\/p>\n
“Alberta does not currently have enough teachers to meet the demand in its classrooms,” the ATA told Postmedia in an emailed statement.<\/p>\n
In order to meet the demand for teachers, the province launched a new temporary teaching certificate that allows tradespeople and certain professionals to teach in Alberta schools.<\/p>\n
Among that group are final-year bachelor of education students, of whom 89 have applied.<\/p>\n
The ATA said these short-term or expedited measures won’t be enough to solve the greater issue with staffing.<\/p>\n
“80 or so applicants for new certificates is a drop in the bucket compared to what is needed to reduce class sizes, support rising classroom complexity and ensure a qualified teacher is in front of every class.”<\/p>\n
School authorities will have a better picture of total demand after enrolment and complexity considerations are fully counted at the end of September, the ATA said. It added that recent trends showed the province still needs 5,000 more teachers.<\/p>\n
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