Despite anxiety about the return to school, the coronavirus pandemic has not prompted any additional retirements in Langley’s public school system.
In fact, fewer teachers and support staff retired at the end of the 2019/20 school year than in the previous two years.
There were 54 retirements of school-based staff at the end of the school year, according to numbers provided by the Langley School District.
That’s down from 64 retirements at the end of the 2018/19 school year, and from 57 at the end of the 2017/18 school year.
The numbers include all types of school-based staff, including teachers, SEAs, and custodians.
A survey of 1,000 Canadians commissioned by Edward Jones, an investment advising firm, found that 33 per cent were planning to retire later because of lost savings or investment value, but eight per cent were planning to retire earlier.
Some jurisdictions in the United States have reported an increase in teacher retirements over uncertainty of returning to classrooms during a pandemic.
READ MORE: Teachers to get two extra days to prepare for students’ return, now set for Sept. 10