What P.E.I. is doing to find more substitute teachers as pandemic drags on
'We're in a crisis,' says teachers' federation head, as recruitment efforts get boost
P.E.I.'s Public Schools Branch says it is upping its recruitment efforts and has lowered the education requirements to work as a substitute teacher on the Island — all in response to ongoing COVID-19 staffing challenges in classrooms.
"We have been discussing for quite some time the substitute availability issue. Now we're in a crisis," said Aldene Smallman, president of the P.E.I. Teachers' Federation. "We need an intense concerted effort for substitute recruitment."
According to the Public Schools Branch (PSB), there are roughly 300 certified substitute teachers registered in the province who have a bachelor of education degree. There are another 125 without education degrees, considered "uncertified."
I think we'd be naive to think ... the problem will be over at the end of the school year.- Kelly Drummond, human resources director, P.E.I. Public Schools Branch
Prior to last month, those uncertified substitutes were required to have completed two years of college or university education.
"Now that's changed to one year," said Kelly Drummond, the PSB's director of human resources. "It does mean we're able to tap into more people. Now we can look at people who may only have the one year of formal education. But they could have lots of demonstrated experiences and equivalencies that make them suitable to be in the classroom."
Drummond said the branch is also planning more recruitment initiatives.
It plans to launch a social media campaign in the "coming weeks," to hold more job fairs and to promote at colleges and universities around the region — particularly now with spring semesters ending and students looking for work.
Competitive job market
Drummond said that given how competitive the job market is right now, her staff are also processing substitute applications faster than ever.
"When people are applying now, our goal is that they receive contact within 24 hours and are scheduled for an interview within a week, so that when they express interest, we hook and reel them in — rather than someone expresses interest, wait two or three weeks to hear from us and then maybe they've moved onto something else," Drummond said.
The HR director said those recruitment efforts won't stop in the summer. With the pandemic dragging on, she anticipates the staffing challenges will continue into next year.
"I think we'd be naive to think we're not going to need additional substitutes and the problem will be over at the end of the school year," she said. " I think we still have to anticipate high absenteeism, probably for the next couple years as we navigate the pandemic."