Three French school service centres and two English school authorities from Montreal met on Thursday for a rare joint press conference ahead of the new school year.
Despite the province’s teacher shortage – more than 3,800 positions were vacant as of Wednesday – Montreal service centres and school boards say they are ready for another school year but want to see measures in place to address the challenges that come with starting school.
“While teacher shortages are nothing new, our respective administrations continue to do everything possible to ensure that the quality of education provided to our students is not compromised,” said Judy Kelley, chair of the Lester B. Pearson School Board’s Council of Commissioners.
“As the 2024-25 school year rapidly approaches, we felt it was important to present a united front to address concerns about the recurring teacher staffing challenges facing our school boards and the school service.”
He added: “The Lester B. Pearson School Board currently has a shortage of approximately 70 teaching positions, most of which are part-time contracts that are still open. However, our school board is closely monitoring the situation and intends to fill the positions by the start of classes next week. If there are any vacancies by the start of classes, we will manage the situation in a way that makes the return of our students to school as effective as possible.”
Despite the teacher shortage, Joe Ortona, chairman of the English Montreal School Board, believes the situation is moving in the right direction.
“As of August 16, we had 239 unfilled apprenticeships, 76 full-time positions, 112 substitute positions and 51 part-time positions. It is important to note that these numbers are improving every day,” Ortona said.
Kelley added, “We understand that parents and guardians may be concerned when these projected shortages are announced a week or two before the start of the school year. However, one of our goals today is to reassure our school community by letting them know that we are more determined than ever and ready to once again ensure a successful start to the new school year and create an environment conducive to the continued educational success of our students.”
As of August 21, Montreal’s school service centres and boards reported that they had filled 94.9 per cent of teacher positions. They say that despite a number of challenges, they have been planning for months to be able to start the school year properly.
They add that they support staff, including those without teaching qualifications, by training them to meet educational standards.
“We can ensure that every class has a qualified teacher when school starts on August 29,” Ortona said.
As enrollment at the Centre de services scolaire continues to grow, Marguerite-Bourgeoys says they need more space.
“As we grow, we need space. When we welcome people from everywhere, they have needs. So there is a problem of space, particularly in secondary schools,” said Paul St-Onge of the Centre de services scolaire Marguerite-Bourgeoys in French.
The organizations are calling on the government to help them. CityNews has contacted Quebec’s Ministry of Education but has not yet received a response.
“We need government support to help universities obtain more teaching credentials. Concordia University has launched a number of initiatives to achieve this goal and help us find more qualified teachers,” Ortona said.
Ortona and Kelley both believe that adequate investment must also be made in schools and infrastructure projects to ensure safety.
“It is also important to say that we are investing a lot of money in our infrastructure. In the last two years and looking ahead to the 2024-25 academic year, our investments will exceed $320 million. Currently, we have 32 projects under construction, with a total budget of $161 million,” explained Ortuna.
“Another 26 buildings costing $32 million are currently in the planning stages, and another $44 million is earmarked for a variety of other projects next year. We know it’s important, and parents, for parents, it’s important to know that we’re investing in our buildings, and so that’s a priority for us, and we’re very proud of the work that we’re doing.”
Kelley added, “To ensure safe learning spaces, we have invested significantly in infrastructure projects. This summer alone, we completed 22 renovation projects totaling over $35 million. In the coming school year, we will continue with various renewal projects, known as Matiandes Effectif, estimated to cost approximately $30.2 million. We will build on our successes and meet the challenges ahead with the same resilience and enthusiasm that has always characterized our community.”
