Ontario, Canada -- Newly certified teachers have been frustrated at the limited amount of work available to them because retired teachers on pension continue to head the classroom.
Last year, $16.7 million was paid out to retirees who double-dipped into provincial educational funds,
reports the Globe and Mail.
One Ontario teacher returned to earn an additional $47,000 after retiring from the school board.
The cost, in some instances, are double for the tax-payer, as retirees collect pay cheques at the highest end of the pay scale for supply work.
Ontario's education minister, Leona Dombrosky, says she "won't clamp down on the practice", but will address the issue with the province's teaching administration.
Double-dipping eventually began to take a toll several years after when the province was, at one point, at a shortage of teachers. Changes were made for retirees, from teaching an additional 20 days after retirement, to being allowed up to 95 days the first three years without affecting their pensions.
One government official believes overhauls are needed. "It's long past due", she says in a CTV
report.
The National Post
reports that the province of Ontario posted a record-high deficit this year at $21.3 billion.
