Ontario is nearly doubling the number of days retired teachers are allowed to work in the public school system in a bid to address staffing shortages.
In a news release issued Monday, the government said under an agreement with the Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF), retired teachers, principals and vice principals will be able to work 95 days in an instructional year, up from 50.
The measure will be in effect until June 30.
“We are seeing staff shortages impacting all sectors of the economy,” Education Minister Stephen Lecce said in the release.
“Well before Omicron came to Ontario, school boards were reporting high rates of absenteeism from education staff. We need staff in order to continue providing live teacher-led remote learning and safely operate our schools when students return to in-person learning.
“That is why we have now secured an agreement with the Ontario Teachers’ Federation that will deliver access to thousands of teacher-qualified educators that will help keep schools open and safe.”
Government figures show that almost 40 per cent of school boards are reporting that 25 per cent of their teacher absences were unfilled by a supply teacher.
Almost 20 per cent of school boards indicated that up to 50 per cent of absences were not filled.
Lecce said that Ontario has also invested $304 million which is expected to support the hiring of over 2,000 staff members “while expanding access to second-year teacher candidates and nearly doubling the number of days retired teachers can work within our schools.”
Lecce added that the government is continuing to make schools “as safe as possible” amid COVID-19, with N95 masks being provided to educators, accelerated booster shots for education and child-care staff, school-focused vaccination clinics, and improved ventilation.
The OTF addressed the agreement in a written statement on Dec. 31 — more than a week before the government announced the change — noting that it “does not expect that many retirees are interested in working in the current environment,” but the change will allow them to work more days if they choose to do so.
The group said in a subsequent statement that “more robust health and safety measures” including social distancing, regular virus testing, smaller class sizes and “appropriate masks” for both staff and students “would also encourage new graduates and existing occasional teachers to make themselves available.”
“This would strongly mitigate the need for additional retirees (average age of which is 72) to somehow fill any void, given the current environment,” the statement said.
Chris Cowley, president of the OTF, said in an email on Monday that around 60 out of 142,000 retired members “have expressed interest in increasing the 50-Day re-employment rule” since September.
Ontario schools are currently engaging in remote learning amid the recent spike in COVID-19 cases.
Classes are expected to remain virtual until at least Jan. 17.
— With files from The Canadian Press