Skip to content

Chilliwack scrambling to fill 63 teaching positions

As students head to first classes, district still looking to fill key roles
8377282_web1_CSSExteriorWithStudentsFILE
Students are back in class, but the district is still short 63 teacher positions. (Jenna Hauck/ Progress file)

Don’t expect your children to know exactly who their teachers are at the end of today. While Chilliwack’s schools opened today, a hiring frenzy for teachers and support staff is ongoing.

Make A Future, the online company that handles teacher postings for B.C. public schools, has 63 teacher positions listed for Chilliwack, as of Sept. 5. When asked about the hiring process at the end of the August, the school district said they were “hiring as quickly as possible.”

However, at that time, no jobs were showing to the public as the jobs were first listed internally.

Make a Future sent out a tweet to let people know of the dire need for workers. Most of the positions close next week.

The list of teachers still needed here is diverse, ranging from full time to very part time, permanent to temporary.

Some of the jobs listed this week include a continuing, full-time secondary mathematics teacher for AP Calculus and Pre-Calculus 12 at Sardis secondary, a full-time socials, science and math teacher at Chilliwack middle school, and kindergarten teachers at Bernard, Tyson and Cultus Lake.

The jobs still unfilled also include support workers, prep teachers, librarians, collaboration positions, alternative education postings, and temporary on-call teachers.

Chilliwack is among the fastest growing school districts in the province. The first is Sooke, which is similary advertising 59 teacher and administration positions this week. Make a Future says that province-wide, there are 487 teaching positions available.

In addition to student enrolment rising, the Supreme Court decision to restore classroom size and composition has put extra pressure on schools. Classrooms will be smaller and extra teacher positions are required for the restored formula.

In Chilliwack, the district worked all summer to repurpose different rooms and hallways to accomodate these extra divisions. They also put in an urgent order for more portables. The delivery of two portables has been delayed until next week, the district confirmed.

They will also receive five more portables in mid-September, and nine more in November.


@CHWKcommunity
jpeters@theprogress.com

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.



Jessica Peters

About the Author: Jessica Peters

I began my career in 1999, covering communities across the Fraser Valley ever since.
Read more