The final report from the Commission on Inclusive Education suggests hiring more teachers assistants (TAs) and having more consistency in training them.
But it remains to be seen how they will be recruited if the province goes ahead with adopting the report.
The South Shore Regional School Board dealt with a shortage of TAs in the past and implemented a three-day training program to create more subsitutes.
Scott Milner, the newly named Regional Executive Director of Education for the region, says he and his fellow former superintendents will likely have to look at recruitment if the report’s recommendations are implemented.
“Teacher assistants are probably not remunerated to the level they should be, I say that as my own opinion.”
Most South Shore TAs make less than $25,000 a year and end up applying for EI in the summer.
Most have diplomas from a NSCC program or one from Jane Norman College, whose curriculum is also approved by the Department of Labour and Advanced Education.
Each former school board has individual contracts with various unions for education support staff, however many are working under expired contracts, including the South Shore.
Milner says to have parity province-wide between urban and rural areas TAs and the various proposed specialists’ salaries may need to be looked.
“We have to talk provincially about what that salary scale will look like, that’s the consistency piece that could come to this to attract people to that profession.”
The report also suggested updating the Teacher Assistant Guidelines from 2008.
The commission found that many teachers pointed to the need for more TAs in the classroom and they have suggested lowering the TA to student population ratio.
Many parents felt their children’s TAs were not consulted enough when it came to planning Individual Planning Programs for their child, despite the TAs knowledge of the student.
However, some pointed to inconsistencies in TA training and knowledge, which also prompted the commission’s suggestion of developing a province-wide preparation program for teacher assistants at NSCC.
The report will have to be accepted by both the province and the Nova Scotia Teacher’s Union before it can be implemented.
