B.C. teacher shortage is impacting vulnerable students: union [Video]

The BC Teachers’ Federation has rolled out an advertising campaign to push the government to take action on staff shortages.

The TV and radio ads are an effort to show the impact these shortages have on students, particularly “vulnerable students, the students who need the most help,” according to the union president Clint Johnston.

Those kids get support from what are called “non-enrolling specialists,” he explains, saying these teachers aren’t responsible for an entire class but instead support kids with “whatever they need to make sure they can achieve.”

And Johnson says these are the educators who get called on to cover when a school is short-staffed.

“They’re often the first ones to get pulled and put in a classroom,” he says.

According to the union, 20,000 teachers and 7,000 teacher’s assistants will be needed over the next 10 years to keep up with growing enrollment.

BCTF hopes the ads …