The Shadow Minister of Education questioned whether a 26 per cent increase in the ministry’s funding for substitute teachers would be enough to cover classroom requirements.

Ben Smith pointed out yesterday that the ministry had historically gone over budget with hiring replacements, with last year’s spending nearly tripling its allocation.

He queried what was leading to the increase in substitutes at a time when Bermuda was reducing the number of schools.

Mr Smith told the House of Assembly: “Each year there seems to be an increase in the amount of substitute teachers that are necessary.

“We have had several schools closing, so you would think that now we would have more teachers that would potentially be available as they shift from one school to the other.

“So is there some issue within that transition that would cause a lack of teachers to be available?”

The questions came after Diallo Rabain, standing in for the Minister of Education, Crystal Caesar, delivered the 2025-26 budget breakdown for the ministry.

He told the House that $4.47 million would be reserved for substitute teachers, up from the 2024-25 budget of $3.38 million.

The initial 2024-25 budget for substitute teachers was $3.38 million but the actual amount spent was almost triple that, at $8.94 million.

Before this, the revised 2023-24 budget stood at $4.07 million but the education ministry ended up spending $6.89 million.

During the debate, Mr Smith called these differences “significant”, adding that it seemed to point towards “a significant need for substitute teachers compared to what would be planned for”.

He questioned whether the education ministry should be anticipating more money for more teachers.

Mr Smith said: “I know everybody in education is going to be happy that there has been an increase but if the increase is not going to match the demand, we’re going to be in this situation a year from now.

“What I know all of us don’t want is to hear the stories about certain classes not having the actual amount of teachers that are necessary while we’re going through the school year.”

The budget hike came after several stakeholders, including the Bermuda Union of Teachers, complained about a lack of staff.

Mr Smith noted the increase of substitute teachers earlier this month, at which time he said it had been “an issue for the past few years”.

He asked MPs how many teachers were on administrative leave, what caused these absences and which school years bore the brunt of them.

Mr Smith pointed out that these departures would have an impact on the amount of substitutes needed.

He asked who was responsible for the investigation, as well as the average length of time the leave took and if the process could be sped up.

Mr Smith further questioned the mental health impact of education reform on teachers and if this was affecting administrative leave.

Mr Rabain confirmed that there was a reserve of substitute teachers and, because of an increase in leave days for teachers, more substitutes were needed.

He added that the education ministry had substitute teachers who worked at assigned schools on a daily basis, along with substitutes who covered extended leave.

Mr Rabain said: “The Department of Education is working to minimise the use of long-term subs by reducing the number of assignments and acting positions.

“This will essentially free substitutes to be available to use as day-to-day substitutes to provide coverage for schools.”

Mr Rabain told the House there was “no knowledge” that the demand for substitute teachers was caused by educators being on administrative leave.

He added that because this form of leave amounted to a “personnel matter”, it would be inappropriate for him to comment.

However, Mr Rabain said: “Investigations for admin leave are external and conducted by the Department of Child and Family Services.

“The time frame cannot be defined and it all depends on the circumstances of the investigation.”

Mr Rabain stated that teachers were not required to disclose matters about their mental health.