New Brunswick’s classrooms are at a pivotal moment. To create a strong, high-performing public education system, we must equip schools and teachers with the resources they need to support students. In 2025, NBTA asked teachers from New Brunswick’s anglophone public schools to share their insights on how government investments can drive meaningful change.
Strong Schools Start with Supported Teachers
Marla Anderson
Enhancing Certification Pathways
“Although the education that I received at the New Brunswick Community College benefited a great deal with my culinary classes here at St. Stephen High School it did nothing to advance my certification with the province of New Brunswick.”
Dan Doucet
Leading by Learning
“When you come into a classroom we know that the reality is not always what you see at university. I believe that providing some support to teachers… along the lines of professional learning where teachers work with teachers, [and] collaborate together.”
Yuan (aka George) Yao
Equipping Evolving Classrooms
“In the four classes I teach, half of the students are new immigrants. For students it is crucial to have teachers who understand their journey as teachers we need to educate ourselves on multiculturalism and become lifelong learners.”
Felicity Brayley
Supporting New Teachers Intentionally
“Unfortunately, what can happen a lot of the time in New Brunswick because of our teacher shortage, is that students will be offered to do a placement without a mentor where they are able to do a contract teaching position…without that mentorship help.”
What Teachers Need to Thrive
Schools are the heart of our communities, reflecting the value we place on our future. Yet, teachers are facing preventable challenges in their classrooms, often without the support they need. If we want the best outcomes for our students, we must first ensure that teachers are equipped to provide the quality education that students so rightly deserve.
To address these issues, the NBTA has submitted 17 recommendations to the Province of New Brunswick as part of the Pre-Budget Consultation.
17 RECOMMENDATIONS
- Incentivize all those who remain in the teaching profession through enhanced compensation.
- Invest in and offer increased permanent teaching contracts to New Brunswick’s recent BEd graduates.
- Incentivize pre-service teachers to choose New Brunswick’s public education system by funding BEd practicum placements completed in the province’s public schools.
- Offer rebates to graduates who obtain a BEd from an accredited Canadian university after they work as a certified public school teacher in New Brunswick for a determined period to offset tuition costs.
- Increase the number of seats in New Brunswick universities’ BEd programs to meet the demands of current and anticipated shortages of certified teachers.
- Commit to implementing a new funding model that responds to school communities’ socio-economic, health and other factors that impact localized needs.
- Invest in a targeted, community-based approach, including a human resources strategy to address specific needs at each school over the next five years, guided by public health and population data trends.
- Create a deliberate school infrastructure strategy which is informed by community data trends in alignment with District Education Councils’ existing and projected priorities.
- Invest the necessary funds to enhance school air quality, ensuring all schools have modern air filtration and heating and cooling systems following ASHRAE 241.
- Improve student outcomes by implementing school schedules that will have a positive impact on learning outcomes for students by providing teachers time to complete required professional obligations (i.e. consultation with families and assisting professionals, co-planning, record keeping, and professional learning).
- Reinvest in a comprehensive new-to-profession support program to strengthen and expand New Brunswick’s once world-class support system for early-career teachers, ensuring it includes all those new to teaching in the province.
- Prioritize certified teachers when filling classroom teaching positions.
- Redirect all savings from daily unfilled absences to the school level, providing support to school teams and flexibility to address local needs.
- Ensure that all savings realized through the hiring of community members on local permits be reinvested to support their skill development at the school level.
- Accept NBTA and AEFNB’s joint teacher certification proposal which recognizes relevant professional designations, prior learning, and work experience that may not be achievable through university pathways but are essential subject areas.
- Increase the number of flexible offerings of BEd programs from New Brunswick universities to allow community members who are pursuing their certification to remain employed while completing their studies and teacher certification.
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