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Until recently, boards were also cautious about hiring because they were concerned that they would not recoup all of the additional funding they would need for hiring the additional teachers. The signals from the provincial government before the election gave the impression that government would try to limit its commitment to the restoration process. With the election of a new government, that situation appears to have changed. Boards lost time because of their caution about adequate funding.

There are other factors that have compounded the challenge of restoring all of the positions lost. Recruiting teachers from elsewhere in Canada is a challenge because the salaries in B.C. are often less competitive than elsewhere. That’s not usually a factor when the possibilities for migration are very limited — as they are and have been most of the time. However, in the current situation, the lower salaries are a deterrent to teachers migrating to B.C.

A factor, long known to employers in the Lower Mainland, is that the housing prices in that area are an impediment to attracting professionals. Teachers — especially if the household doesn’t have two incomes — are reluctant to accept positions in Vancouver and other costly communities.

There have always been teachers in rural and remote communities seeking positions in the Okanagan, Vancouver Island and even in the Lower Mainland for lifestyle and other reasons. Most years the opportunities are few, but not this year. When teachers move because of job openings in those regions, it leaves the more-rural and remote districts with vacancies that are hard to fill and, if filled, are filled with less-experienced teachers.