Eighty five new teachers are coming to SD8.
The Kootenay Lake school district is looking to fill all these spots for September 2017, with positions ranging from literacy helper to outdoor education coordinator to math teacher — and they’re fielding applications from all over the globe.
And though some of these positions are part of their normal hiring routine, for 2017 the district will hire approximately 16 more full-time teachers than they would’ve thanks to the recent Supreme Court legal ruling that restored classroom composition language from their 2002 collective agreement.
“We’ve seen a reduction in class sizes in many of our classes throughout the district as we’ve hired teachers for those classes, and overall 16 new teachers into our system is not insignificant,” human resources manager Deanna Holitzki told the Star.
“Because we hired new teachers last year, allocating over what the minimums were for the school act, we’re not necessarily hiring as many additional teachers as some other districts because we did that work ahead of time.”
And she’s thrilled with applications that have been pouring in so far.
“We’re seeing applicants from all over the world applying to our positions, certainly across Canada and the U.S. but also applicants coming from international schools in many other countries. It’s awesome.”
They’ve been highlighting the Kootenays as a choice destination.
“This process has given us a really good chance to recruit for the area, and we’ve been able to spotlight not only Nelson but the entire district and all the communities here.”
Board chair Lenora Trenaman praised the work staff did to get to this point, calling the process “onerous,” and said the new influx of teachers puts the district in a position it hasn’t been in during her tenure: they’re receiving everything they want.
“It’s such a relief to get through a budget year without cuts or reductions or challenges,” board chair Lenora Trenaman told the Star.
“This is going to provide stronger support for our students, and take some stress off our educators in our schools — and for that we’re very excited and happy.”
