Many support staff positions unfilled in Quebec schools, union warns

By The Canadian Press on August 27, 2023.

MONTREAL – As Quebec struggles to recruit enough teachers to fill its classrooms ahead of the new school year, a major union is warning that it’s proving equally hard to find enough support staff.

The Fédération des employées et employés de services publics says there is a worrying number of vacancies for positions such as secretaries, special education technicians and educators who provide childcare outside of school hours.

The latter shortage is the most acute, with about 230 vacant positions at the Montreal service centre and 405 at the Mille-ÃŽles service centre in the Laurentians.

The union says this means some workers will be left supervising 30 or 40 children at a time, and some schools may have to limit or roll back their services.

Union vice-president Frédéric Brun says the problem is exacerbated by the ongoing teacher shortage, as many special education technicians have been asked to fill in at the head of the classroom.

The union says hundreds of support staff have also quit their jobs in recent years and is calling for better pay and working conditions in order to attract and retain employees.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 27, 2023.

8
-7