The New Brunswick Teachers’ Association is calling for urgent action to address the teacher shortage.

President Peter Lagacy said classrooms will be critically understaffed in September if the government does not act.

Lagacy told reporters Thursday that the anglophone sector alone needs 524 teachers just to maintain the status quo.

“We estimate we’ll have around 220 teachers retire this year, and we do know that we’ll probably need about 150 additional teachers this year on top of what we have now to mitigate population growth,” he said.

There are also around 150 teachers on what are known as “local contracts” who do not have a bachelor of education degree.

Lagace said a classroom without certified professional teachers denies students the critical education they deserve.

In addition, NBTA anticipates that around 1,255 teachers will leave the profession over the next five years.

With a provincial election set to happen over the coming months, Lagacy said they will be seeking several commitments from all political parties.

That includes increasing funding for the education system, developing innovative solutions for retaining teachers, and creating an immediate recruitment strategy.

“There’s some work being done long term, they are simply recommendations and those can’t be lost when the election comes this fall. But what are we doing to make sure teachers want to come to this province,” said Lagacy.

NBTA said it also wants teachers to have more involvement when it comes to educational decisions and policymaking.

“Our expertise must be respected, and political interference that destabilizes our system must be avoided,” added Lagacy.