School boards question proposed teacher hiring regulations

Some school boards in the northwest are concerned that proposed regulationsfor new hires will make it tougher torecruit teachers in small communities.

In its negotiations with Ontario's Ministry of Education, the English Catholic teachers union agreed tohiringcriteriathat would giveadded weight to seniority.

The ministry wants to legislate the hiring regulations for all school boards.

"Now its very prescribed, in that the five most senior qualified persons would be the people interviewed for the position," said Tom Mustapic, associate director of the Thunder Bay Catholic Board.

Under the new rules,teacherscould interview for a permanent position when they successfully complete one long-term placement of four months.

But Jack McMaster, director of Education for theKeewatin Patricia district schoolboard, said his board sometimeshas no choice but to look at teachers with less experience.

"In our small northern communities, we often hire people straight out of teachers college mainly because we dont have a good ... or alarge hiring pool," McMaster said.

Phyllis Eikre,director ofthe Kenora Catholicschool board, said the new regulations wouldmake it even harder for young teachers to find permanent work.

"It does concern us because we dont want to lose the opportunity to put our best teachers where we know theyre going to create success for our students," saidEikre.

But the province said the regulations will make the hiring process more transparent.