International student enrolment has nose-dived due to the global pandemic and public school teachers are facing layoffs as school districts across the region scramble to offset millions of dollars in lost revenue.
The Greater Victoria School District 61 said 33 full-time teaching positions are being cut and $6.3 million will be lost as a result of international student enrolment dropping by almost half in 2020-21.
School District 61 typically welcomes about 1,000 students from other countries each year, but with most international travel halted due to COVID-19, international student enrolment is expected to drop significantly this fall.
Associate superintendent Colin Roberts said no teachers have been officially laid off, but some have been identified as “excess to needs.” Some of the full-time positions being cut might be offset by teachers who are retiring, Roberts said, so it will be weeks before teachers know if they’ll be laid off. The cuts will primarily involve high school teachers.
“We understand that the lack of, not just job security, but even knowing where they might be teaching next year, is a stress that unfortunately they're going to have to live with for a few weeks until things become clearer to us at the district,” Roberts said.
Greater Victoria Teachers’ Association president Winona Waldron said she was caught off guard when she learned about the cuts at the April 27 school district board meeting.
“I was shocked when that was announced,” Waldron said. “That created a great deal of anxiety.”
Waldron said many families are already struggling with job losses due to COVID-19, so the threat of staff cuts will add to the stress.
Public schools and post-secondary institutions work hard to attract international students because they pay school fees in full, with no government subsidy.
The Greater Victoria School District charges $15,000 a year for international students in all grades.
Roberts said the vast majority of international students who were in Greater Victoria have made it back to their home countries. Roberts is hoping international student enrolment will rebound by next spring.
Dave Eberwein, superintendent of the Saanich School District, said his district is planning for a 50% reduction in students coming from abroad.
“The uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to provide us with uncertainty as we plan for the 2020-21 school year,” Eberwein said in an email. “We anticipate a lower international student enrolment due to the strong potential of continuing travel restrictions and other mitigation protocols.”
This could mean a loss of more than $2 million, which could result in staff reductions and layoffs, he said. “There is a likelihood of staffing reductions because of the existence of fewer students in our buildings.”
Sooke School District is predicting at least a 40% reduction in international students but superintendent Scott Stinson said there won’t be layoffs.
International enrolment brings in $2.6 million a year; the school district’s budget will include a reserve fund equal to that amount to handle a shortfall, Stinson said.
“While we’re building our budget based on a 40% reduction, we’re putting away enough money in our reserve to be able to absorb an even further reduction without having to lay off staff,” he said.
Because the Sooke district is constantly growing, it does not rely on international students as much as other districts, he said.
The enrolment uncertainty underscores the problem with relying on international students as a source of revenue, Waldron said.
“Maybe school districts shouldn’t be using this as a possible source of revenue because it’s so temperamental depending on factors way outside of our city, our province and even our country,” she said.
Waldron would like to see the Ministry of Education make up the budget shortfall to prevent layoffs.
In a statement, the Ministry of Education said it is working with districts to understand the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on school budgets this year and next.
“There may be fewer international students coming to B.C. as a result of the pandemic but it’s too early to know the whole picture as enrolments won’t be known until the fall,” the ministry said.
