Two of the school boards in Windsor-Essex both indicate they are in a good position when it comes to their teaching faculty, but they are aware of staffing challenges on the horizon.
Officials at the Greater Essex County District School Board and the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board report stable staffing levels but that they have been focused on recruitment and hiring.
According to a Ministry of Education report, Ontario is staring down a teacher shortage as retirements and student enrolment are both on the rise, and that the situation will start to get even worse in 2027.
The warning is contained in a series of briefing documents for the new minister of education, obtained by The Canadian Press through a freedom-of-information request, which says many school boards are also experiencing challenges recruiting and retaining enough qualified teachers, particularly in areas such as French and tech education.
Stephen Fields, Communications Coordinator for the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board, says they've seen their enrollment increase and have hired around 80 teachers in the last year.
Fields says they've been pretty active about recruiting.
"We're very close to the University of Windsor's faculty of education. We have a very good relationship with them. A lot of people from our human resources department are over there on a fairly regular basis talking to people in the faculty, taking to students in the program, and letting them know we're here when they graduate," he says.
Fields says there are some areas where they do have some concerns—high-demand programs like French Immersion, science, math, and tech studies.
"Some of those things where people have a specific skill set sometimes make it difficult to get people to go into those programs and get people into our schools. We're keeping our heads above water right now, and we're making sure that we're staffed adequately, but down the road, that's definitely an area of concern," he says.
The Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board currently employs 1,400 full-time permanent teachers between both the elementary and secondary panels, with about 310 on our occasional list, servicing a total of 22,800 students.
Greater Essex Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario president Mario Spagnuolo told AM800's The Shift that around 200 elementary teachers with the Greater Essex County District School Board can retire in 2027-2028 because they were hired in 1997-1998.
"So give or take, that's just under 15 percent of our members are possibly going to retire in a few years," he says. "We're seeing a tendency for people to retire even earlier by their 28th or 29th year and take the reduction. Because you do get penalized before that 30 years or 85 factor. So that's what we're dealing with."
Astatement issued by the Greater Essex County District School Board says, "The Greater Essex County District School Board is thankful to not be facing the teacher shortages affecting other regions. We are fortunate to have a committed and highly qualified team of educators who are dedicated to providing exceptional learning experiences for our students. While our staffing situation is currently stable, we recognize that many long-serving educators are approaching eligibility for early retirement under the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, which may present some staffing challenges in the years to come.
To prepare for this generational shift, the GECDSB is proactively planning for the future. The GECDSB has dedicated human resources recruitment staff and actively engage with potential teacher candidates at various times throughout the year. We are excited to welcome and support new educators as they begin their careers with us. Our goal is to cultivate an environment where they can grow, thrive, and contribute meaningfully to our students' success over the long term. By investing in recruitment and retention strategies, we aim to sustain a vibrant and dynamic workforce capable of meeting the evolving needs of our school communities.
Currently, the GECDSB employs approximately 1,475 teachers at the elementary level and 830 teachers at the secondary level, supporting a total student population of around 36,000. We remain committed to fostering a positive and inclusive learning environment where all students have access to high-quality education and opportunities for success."