Prince George, B.C. – B.C. Education Minister Mike Bernier has announced the Province is investing $2 million to help recruit and retain teachers and other qualified education sector professionals to rural schools.

“This investment will help support local and provincewide solutions for school districts with hard-to-fill positions in rural and remote communities,” says the Ministry of Education. “This challenge has been a recurring topic of discussion through the Province’s ongoing engagement to create a rural education strategy.”

PG School Board chair Tim Bennett

That engagement has included eight open houses throughout the province, including one in Prince George last month (see previous story here).

The money will be used for:

• Free job posting services and access to an online teacher application management system;
• Coordination of national and international recruitment efforts;
• Local incentives, such as enhanced funding for travel expenses for professional development, relocation expenses and transitional housing assistance.

Prince George School Board chair Tim Bennett says three communities in the district – Mackenzie, Valemount and McBride – all qualify as rural and remote communities.

“The district has had challenges recruiting teachers to these communities and it is something we as a district have prioritized resources to. So, the additional support from the provincial government is welcomed.”

He says it will also be interesting to see how the money is rolled out.

“If I’s based on a grant allocation or if it’s distributed based on student population in rural communities,” says Bennett. “I know that the news is still very new and that our staff – if we’re eligible for the funding – will make sure our application is in quickly.