Several groups of teachers and education workers in Vancouver have written an open letter to the Vancouver School Board (VSB) sharing some concerning figures on staffing issues and the impact on students due to teacher shortage. The letter specifically mentions the concerning impact of staffing shortage on vulnerable students since their teachers have been pulled from to fill in for the absent teacher.
The letter sent jointly by the Vancouver Elementary and Adult Educators’ Society, Vancouver Secondary Teachers’ Association, CUPE Local 15, CUPE Local 407, and the International Union of Operating Engineers, says that return to schools has not been easy this year since an alarming number of teachers have reported the impacts of “failures to fill” or in other words cases where an absent teacher is not replaced. “Adding these severe staffing issues, the alarming increase in reported incidents of violence in the classroom has also deeply affected personnel this year.”
The VSB Secondary teachers have reported more than 400 times (blocks) that were not filled. From October to December Vancouver elementary school teachers reported almost 1,300 incidents of absence not being filled and 972 incidents where resource teachers were pulled from their work to support vulnerable learners to instead cover classroom absences.
The VSB has reported zero failures to fill in the absent teacher on April 5, 2023. However, according to the letter, it did not include the cases where support teachers were pulled from their core duties, which obscures the true impact of the staffing shortage.
The letter also mentioned that these chronic challenges of staff shortages is ultimately impacting student success, social-emotional wellness and learning for all students and especially for the vulnerable students.
The teachers and school staff who have written the letter are of the opinion that with the continuous staffing shortage it will be “categorically impossible” for the school board to implement its education plan that strives for “meaningful inclusion where student success is prioritized, and where unique learning styles and student identity, needs, strengths, and positionality are honoured.”
The letter asks VSB to ensure that “the voices of student-serving staff are part of important processes, and the transparency around staffing decisions and use of funding be improved and restored, all in the interested of promoting student learning and safety at school.”
