Edmonton schools racing to hire 52 new complexity teams before fall, but teacher shortage looms

Edmonton schools are getting 52 new classroom support teams funded by the province before students return this fall, but a hiring scramble is raising sharp questions about whether there are enough qualified teachers to staff them.

Edmonton Public Schools will receive 36 teams — 17 for K-6 classes and 19 for Grades 7-12. Edmonton Catholic Schools gets 16 teams, split with seven for K-6 and nine for Grades 7-12. Each team includes two education assistants and one teacher. The funding follows an earlier $143 million allotment announced earlier this year.

Edmonton Public Schools spokesperson Kim Smith said the division is working to get the newest batch into classrooms "as quickly as possible." But the Alberta Teachers' Association said plainly: "Alberta does not currently have enough teachers to meet the demand in its classrooms."

The hiring crunch comes after a multi-week teachers' strike in the spring over classroom complexity. The ATA argued that a growing number of students with greater support needs has left teachers overwhelmed and students underserved. After ordering teachers back to work, the province committed to data collection and action on the issue.

To bridge the gap, Alberta launched a temporary teaching certificate allowing tradespeople and certain professionals to teach, plus fast-tracked final-year bachelor of education students. Among that group, 89 have applied. But the ATA called these measures insufficient — "a drop in the bucket compared to what is needed."

Edmonton Public Schools ranked second provincewide for classroom complexity, with 34 per cent of its classrooms having 11-plus students with complex needs. A clearer picture of total demand will emerge at the end of September when enrolment and complexity data is fully counted.