| London Centre MPP Marion Boyd said when she assumed the portfolio in the 1990 NDP government, the ministry was already forecasting a teacher shortage in 2003. . . . She said the Harris government has simply worsened the crisis with "teacher bashing" that has spurred thousands to take advantage of a new deal that lets them retire when their age and years of service total 85 rather than the previous "Really good teachers are saying, 'I just don't need this anymore. I can't have pride in my work,' " said Boyd. | By HANK DANISZEWSKI, Free Press Education Reporter with wire services
No one should be surprised by Ontario's looming teacher shortage, least of all the
provincial government, says a former education minister and a parents' group spokesperson. London Centre MPP Marion Boyd said when she assumed the portfolio in the 1990 NDP government, the ministry was already forecasting a teacher shortage in 2003 as baby boomer teachers reached retirement age. She said the Harris government has simply worsened the crisis with "teacher bashing" that has spurred thousands to take advantage of a new deal that lets them retire when their age and years of service total 85 rather than the previous "Really good teachers are saying, 'I just don't need this anymore. I can't have pride in my work,' " said Boyd. Parent groups were also warned of a potential teacher shortage a year ago, said Beth Papais, spokesperson for the Thames Valley District Alliance of Home and School Councils. "It's not a surprise to us at all. If you bump your retirement window back five years, you're putting all those baby boomers out to retirement." Boyd said the government may be following the lead of some companies that reduce salary costs by encouraging experienced employees to retire and replacing them with lower-paid new employees. The London District Catholic school board estimates salary costs are down $1.5 million this year because so many higher-paid teachers have retired. But the provincial government will actually reap the savings by cutting the board's funding for salary costs. Boyd said the school system could have the same problems as many companies that have suffered because of the exodus of experience. The provincial government may try to set up summer "crash courses" to turn out more teachers, Boyd said, adding it will be hard for those courses to include any classroom experience. "There's a big difference between doing some book learning about teaching and actually standing up in a classroom." Papais said she believes the government may be able to attract people qualified as teachers who now work at non-teaching jobs. But they'll first have to make peace with teachers' unions. "I think there are really talented people out there. But they may be nervous of the situation between government and teachers. They don't want to come back and find themselves on strike." In Toronto, the public school board is so desperate for high school teachers it has called 300 recent retirees back to class for two months. The retirees, many of whom took an early pension along with up to six months in unused sick days last spring, will be brought into Toronto public high schools Nov. 16 until late January at an average of $15,000 each -- a total of $4.5 million. It's a stopgap while the board recruits 242 full-time teachers, at a cost of $7 million, to cover extra staffing required under a new contract with the board's high school teachers. |
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Marion Boyd, MPP London Centre
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