Evaluation of teacher allocation 'overdue': NLTA president Jim Dinn

The president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers' Association welcomed the auditor general's report this week, which recommends the government review its teacher allocation model.

"When it comes to an evaluation of the teacher allocation model as to whether it's meeting the needs of the students, it's overdue," Jim Dinn told CBC.

It's about having the people there also who can tend to the individual student and help them with their needs.- Jim Dinn

Dinn saidthe question of how best to distribute resources is especially crucial this year the first year of full-day kindergarten.

"It certainly reinforces a lot of what we've been saying," he said.

During teachers' last contract negotiation, saidDinn, the association negotiated a task force that would evaluate the provincial allocation model, but he said that committee has been stalled by the provincial government.

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Since the introduction of the provincial inclusive teaching initiative, which aims to provide the same education to all students regardless of any special needs, the government had not actually paid attention to class composition, said Dinn.

Allocation based on need, not budget

Teacher allocation is not only about how many teachers are needed but about what kind of teachers are provided.

"You might have (a class of) 24 students, it doesn't sound like a lot, but when you've got 14 students on some sort of learning exceptionality where they're in need of support," said Dinn.

"Some of them are behavioural issues, some of them may be ADHD or other learning disabilities that need some support you've got one teacher sometimes in that class most of the time."

Full-day kindergarten has been "consistently" diverting resources away from other primary grades, saidDinn, who added teacher allocation should be based on need rather than strictly on budget.

"If you're trying to deal with students of these diverse needs, it becomes more than just best teaching practices; it's about having the people there also who can tend to the individual student and help them with their needs."