Calgary schools struggling to fill staffing shortages with substitute teachers

An overturned desk in a Calgary school. (CTV News)

Calgary schools continue to struggle with staffing shortages as substitute teachers often don’t fill every absence across the city.

Numbers obtained by CTV News show more than one in 10 sub positions remained vacant in public schools on Friday.

The Calgary Board of Education says filling all of the roles is an ongoing challenge, despite a roster of 2,000 substitute teachers.

-The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) notes the problem stretches across Alberta and has been made worse by new provincial literacy assessments.

“A lot of substitute teachers are being used or contracted to help do those assessments or to work with students after the fact, which takes them off the sub roster to be available for teachers who might be sick,” said Jason Schilling, the president of the ATA.

“And we also are finding too, that substitute teachers, we don’t have as many as we used to because they are finding that the job is challenging and they’re struggling with the wages as well.”

When a substitute position isn’t filled, other staff members at the school are required to cover it or two classes are combined. The ATA says these solutions put extra stress on administration, teachers and students.