Inheritance to management positions | “It does not run at the door”

Shortages in schools do not only affect teachers: the lack of a serious legacy to replace management positions, Quebec Educational Institute Directors (FQDE) warns.

Mary-Eve Morasse
Press

To get a picture of the situation, school principals surveyed some forty school service centers and found that for the most part, management positions were not being filled.

FQDE President Nicholas Provost said, “It’s worse than I thought. To become a director, it’s not going to go to the door. ‘

Work-family balance is one of the factors that makes it clear that aspiring directors are not a legion, said FQDE President. According to a survey published last year, school principals work an average of 54 hours a week.

“People see it and are not too interested in it,” said Nicholas Prevost, who suggested that the pay gap between teacher and director should be small depending on the level at which they occupy it. “It simply came to our notice then [entre les deux] He says.

We also saw this in the Montreal Association of School Principals (AMDES). “School principals work almost double the number of hours [par rapport aux enseignants]We need to recognize that, “said Kathleen Legalt, president of the United States.

School principals manage budgets, staff, and ensure the quality of educational services, she adds.

If you want elementary or secondary school principals, one must first be a teacher. It does not rub, tell the directions. With 100,000 teachers in Quebec, “there is a recruitment pool,” Mr. Privost believes. In order to access management positions, teachers must be committed to obtaining a graduate degree in school administration within five years.

There is no shortage in Montreal

This is not the first time that problems have arisen in the appointment of school principals. In 2018, the Quebec Association of School Management Staff (AQPDE) challenged then-Liberal Public Education Minister Sebastian Prolks on the issue.

We noted at AMDES that despite the severe shortage of teachers, there are currently no school principals on the island of Montreal.

The Montreal School Service Center says it has recruited more than 20 candidates who are ready to fill the Assistant Principal positions since the beginning of the school year. At the Pointe-de-l’Île School Service Center, it was indicated that there was no shortage of candidates for management positions.

At AMDES, we believe that all academic professions should be valued, especially by finding solutions to staff shortages that affect the entire network and weaken the working conditions of school principals.

“I will never do your job”

After teaching science in high school for 13 years, Alien Bouchard moved into a school management position to “bring change to more students.”

The elementary school in Boisechatel has 740 students, where she has been deputy director for four years. She recently received her Specialized Graduate Diploma in School Administration, a “Mean Challenge” she achieved while working. This prevents some people from starting, she noted.

As a director, we no longer count our hours, Ms adds.^Me Bouchard. “You have to be close at all times. ⁇

Directions have many “challenges” that she observes with students as well as parents and staff.

For the past two years, school principals have been called upon to carry out sanitation activities, class closures and openings in addition to their regular work. At AMDES, it was suggested that the epidemic may not help increase the attractiveness of leadership work in schools.

“I started my career as a school principal again, which means I have the idea to support the students,” Alien Bouchard said. The deputy director heard from many colleagues that “I will never do your job” and although she realized that this was not a job for everyone, it remained “very rewarding”.

“We work with students who have more needs in schools,” she said.