The Yukon Party is hoping the territorial government has learned its lessons from the “rocky start” to the current school year – and is offering suggestions for a smoother beginning for the coming year.

But the Liberal caucus is pointing out the official Opposition voted against the very budget that funds some of its proposals – and that several education system measures have already been put in effect.

As the 2022-2023 school year draws to a close, many educators and parents are looking ahead to August and the logistics of starting the next school year, the Yukon Party said Thursday.

“Last August, students, parents and administrators faced a rocky start to the school year,” the official Opposition said in a statement.

“A shortage of teachers in the classroom left principals scrambling to recruit staff members.

“School administrators then had to come up with patchwork solutions, including staff taking on positions outside of their specialty. This was exacerbated by a severe shortage of substitute teachers.”

With a competitive market for educators, the Yukon Party is suggesting a more aggressive approach to recruiting teachers, including:

• increasing the number of recruiters;

• spending the necessary dollars on a targeted recruitment campaign that sells the Yukon as a great place to teach, especially for those fresh out of university;

• attending job fairs across Canada;

• creating an easy-to-access recruitment website;

• providing extra incentives to recruit teachers to the Yukon, especially rural Yukon; and

• filling all open positions by the end of July so educators have time to relocate and prepare for the year.

The 2023 Confidence and Supply Agreement (CASA) the Liberals and NDP signed Jan. 31 says, “To improve the Yukon’s education system, the government will allocate an additional $1 million in each of the next three budgets to enhance recruitment and retention of new rural education professionals across the Yukon.”

“Given the CASA commitment and our suggestions, the Yukon Party is wondering how the Liberal government is spending that extra million dollars,” the official Opposition said.

As for the education system itself, the Yukon Party is asking the Liberal government to clarify how many positions need to be filled by August.

“How many new teachers are needed in Whitehorse, and in rural Yukon?” the party asked.

“Is there a clear process for properly placing educational assistants and learning assistance teachers with the appropriate students?”

“Students, parents, and school staff deserve a smooth start to the new school year,” said Education critic Scott Kent.

“We hope the minister of Education learned from last year to ensure that smooth start.

“We also call on the minister to communicate with school administration, as well as school boards and councils about any potential difficulties that may arise heading into the new year.”

Responding to the Yukon Party’s points today, the Liberal caucus said in a statement that “once again, the Yukon Party’s tired attempts to undermine public confidence in the Yukon’s education system are based on a false hope that Yukoners will forget that Currie Dixon and his conservative caucus already voted against funds for the reforms they now publicly propose.”

The 2023-24 territorial budget, the caucus noted, contains:

• $1 million for recruitment and retention of rural education professionals;

• more than $43.4 million for supporting quality early learning and childcare; and

• $515,000 invested in capital to support the development of a data management system.

There is also more than $27 million in funding for a number of capital projects in the Education portfolio, including:

• the Kêts’ádaǹ Kų̀ school in Burwash Landing (see p. 6);

• relocating École Whitehorse Elementary School to a new building in Takhini;

• the completion of the new Whistle Bend Elementary School;

• structural upgrades to the school in Ross River, which has long suffered settling and foundation problems;

• modernizing learning spaces; and

• upgrading education equipment across the territory.

“While the Yukon Party caucus is now reversing their position and calling for investment in the recruitment and retention of education professionals, all Yukon Party MLAs voted against funding these initiatives through Budget 2023-24 on April 29,” the Liberal caucus pointed out.

“If Currie Dixon and the conservatives in the Yukon Party have had a change of heart about supporting the Liberal government’s budget, we would welcome their endorsement,” said Education Minister Jeanie McLean.

“Unfortunately, it seems that the Yukon Party is instead trying to get by calling for reforms while hoping that Yukoners will forget that the same MLAs already said ‘no’ to these measures,” McLean added.

While there is currently a shortage of teaching staff across Canada, the caucus statement said, the government has prioritized “ensuring that all Yukon schools provide safe, inclusive, and supporting learning environments that deliver high-quality education to learners of all ages.

“The Yukon Liberal government continues to work with education partners to recruit and retain staff, and this work has paid off.”

At the start of the current school year, the caucus said, there were significantly fewer teacher vacancies compared to the start of the 2021-22 academic year.

“The department is rethinking and changing how it helps all students with their learning needs by providing better support and interventions,” the statement added.

The Reimagining Inclusive and Special Education (RISE) initiative examines how education assistants and other resources are employed.

“When it comes to improving our education system, Currie Dixon, Yukon Party Education critic Scott Kent, and the rest of the Yukon Party caucus are trying to take credit for the work of others,” said McLean.

“Under the leadership of the Yukon Liberal government, the Department of Education has already been participating in career fairs online and in person, and has advertised vacancies on social media and through job boards run by Canadian universities.”

Department staff have participated in online career fairs. As well, teacher recruiters have attended 13 in-person education career fairs in the Yukon, Ontario, Alberta, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, and New Brunswick, and six online job fairs reaching candidates across Canada.

The department has also filled 127 vacancies for the 2023-24 school year, excluding educational assistants.

The average starting salary for a primary education teacher in Canada is $52,975.

The starting salary for a new teacher in the Yukon ranges from $57,435 to $84,978, effective July 1, 2021.