Ontario gives schools $381M for PPE, ventilation and summer learning

The province will allocate $381 million in federal funding for schools on personal protective equipment, summer learning for kids who've fallen behind or need a refresher on key concepts and portable air filters, and will give boards money to buy more devices for students for virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government will also help boards in their struggles to find occasional teachers by allowing upper-year university students in education programs to fill empty supply positions, Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced Monday.

That change, first reported by the Star, is unprecedented. In order for university students to qualify for the newly created temporary teaching certificate, they must be doing well in their teacher education program, already have some practicum (in-class) experience and be on track to graduate by the end of 2021.

Faculties of education have agreed to be flexible when their students - who must be in the second-year of the now two-year teaching degree - miss university classes to take on teaching positions. Students will be paid at the going rate for beginners, and the hours logged can also count toward their practicum days.

When the Ontario College of Teachers created the temporary certificate last December and urged the government to adopt the emergency measure, unions said they weren't consulted and also questioned the extent of the shortage.

Liz Stuart, president of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association, said at the time that her union is very concerned about this news. While some school boards are experiencing legitimate shortages of qualified, certified teachers, in many cases the situation is a reflection of the government's poor planning for this school year."

She said the temporary certificate would essentially paper over the government's failures, leaving the root problems unaddressed."

The college of teachers recently issued a research report surveying 4,000 early-career teachers that found the long-standing teacher surplus in the province has ended, with job prospects for new graduates growing at a rapid rate.

Demographics alone have made the difference, with about 5,800 retirements in Ontario each year, but this school year saw a further 3,000-plus teachers choose not to keep up their teacher certification - leaving boards already scouring for extra educators because of the impact of COVID-19 with even more trouble hiring enough educators to cover both virtual and in-person learning as well as teacher absences.

The new, temporary certificates expire at the end of August for teacher-education students who haven't completed the now-required math proficiency test; for those who have, the certificates last until Dec. 31.

The government source said they are intended to provide temporary staffing stabilization and relief for Ontario schools that are experiencing occasional teacher shortages and absenteeism due to COVID-19," and noted the Dufferin-Peel Catholic school board has faced 40 per cent teacher absenteeism which is obviously a significant challenge. Numerous school boards also experienced closures from September to December due to operational considerations, like staffing shortages, and had to close as a result."

The province will direct boards to first fill supply positions from their daily and long-term supply teaching lists before turning to the students. Certified teachers from other provinces may also qualify for the temporary certificates.

The province is also expanding asymptomatic testing of students and staff in schools, and says there will be the capacity to conduct 50,000 tests per week when the program is fully up and running - with half of those tests being PCR (nasopharyngeal swabbing) and half rapid antigen tests.

The funding announced Monday also includes:

• $64.55 million in health and safety funding, including PPE;

• $62 million in summer learning supports;

• $60 million for online learning, including technical support;

• $50 million for portable HEPA filters and ventilation improvements;

• $33 million for communities with high numbers of COVID-19 cases;

• $10 million to support the student nutrition program;

• $10 million for mental health initiatives.

Kristin Rushowy is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @krushowy