Potential teachers will have more incentive to teach in Northern Alberta communities, including Jasper, after the provincial government launched an $800,000 project to attract staff to the area.

Alberta education unveiled the Northern Student Teacher bursary in conjunction with the Northern Alberta Development Council.

The project is designed to entice teachers to come -and stay - in Northern Alberta. Post-secondary students can apply for bursaries, given that they teach for at least three years in designated Northern Alberta schools.

“This is a significant problem. Alberta is unique to the rest of the country, as we have a rising student population,” said Randy Clarke.

Most new teachers prefer to work in urban centres, Clarke said, and many new teachers only stay in rural locations for one or two years.

“They seemingly want to work in urban centres,” Clarke said. “The hope is that they’ll put down roots and stay.” 

Most new teachers leave small northern communities after one or two years.

In a news release, education minister Dave Hancock said it’s important for teachers to integrate with the community.

“It is critical to the success of students that teachers in rural and northern communities connect with the community,” minister Hancock said. “Teachers who have grown up in the community are role models and mentors who demonstrate success and inspire young people to believe they too can succeed.”

Clarke said the problem of turnover is great.

“We have about 50 per cent turnover, and that makes it difficult for HR, and difficult for the schools,” Clarke said.

The province has not yet studied why teachers don’t stay in Northern communities, but they are currently investigating the situation. A previous program was run through northern development, however the incentive wasn’t as lucrative as the new pilot project.

“It’s a reasonable return on the investment. Superintendents tell us if young teachers put down roots in a community, that may be a factor in determining if they stay,” Clarke said.

Alberta requires on average 2,300 new teachers every year, however teacher colleges in the province only produce 2,000 teachers a year. Not all graduates of teacher’s college enter teaching, Clarke said

“There’s not enough to fill the positions,” Clarke said.

Jasper Jr./Sr. High School principal Mark Crozier has seen the turnover first hand. While the local high school only needed to replace one band teacher for the upcoming school year, 

“I worked in Rainbow Lake and it was a revolving door,” Crozier said, who was acting as a vice principal in the Northern community. “We saw the entire staff turn over in two years. It was more of a stepping stone.

“Jasper is no where near that situation,” he said.

While many teachers are attracted to Jasper due to its natural beauty and recreational activities, housing proves to be the top deterrent to attracting and retaining staff, Crozier said. Experienced staff with families are much harder to keep than new teachers, he said.

“Housing comes up as a concern... For families it’s a tough sell,” Crozier said. “But Jasper is still a very marketable community.”