The north Peace retained the vast majority of the certified teachers hired last year. School trustees hope to see the same result with the 25 certified teachers hopping on board for this year.
At their first meeting of the schoolyear, representatives of Peace River North School District 60, which spans 100 kilometres north of Fort St John all the way down to Hudson’s Hope, heard an update on the teacher shortage. Trustees also discussed the 92 per cent retention rate the board had with its new certified hires last year.
Currently, the board is still seeking one French immersion teacher to work at Fort St John’s Ecole Central Elementary school for the 2025-2026 year. 25 certified teachers who studied education and received their certificate of qualification were hired by SD60.
The board also hired 38 teachers with a letter of permission. Non-teachers can apply for teaching jobs without a certificate, in its place, they must obtain a letter of permission. This letter allows uncertified teachers to work for up to one year. Letters are only granted when the board is unable to find qualified teachers, and boards must prove their inability to fill the role.
Uncertified teachers in the north Peace received additional training ahead of students’ return to classrooms.
They completed three mandatory training sessions guided by the board’s literacy, numeracy, and English language learning coaches. Training was focused on the “fundamentals,” like lesson planning and classroom management, a representative of the school district said.
Issues identified in the B.C. Teachers Federation’s report on teacher retention from earlier this summer were also addressed. One major issue identified by the report was a lack of support from administrators and higher ups.
As of this month, every school in the district has signs reminding students and visitors to be respectful towards teachers and other staff.
