According to Kevin Knutsen, Executive Officer of Employee and Labour Relations for the Rainy River District School Board, the need for teachers will “increase significantly” by 2027 on both a provincial and national level. Moreover, Knutsen thinks the teacher shortage will influence “a shortage of teachers to become administrators.”
Furthermore, Knutsen acknowledges the difference in pay between a senior teacher and a vice principal wasn’t much different “from a financial perspective.” However, Knutsen explained the pay gap from a senior teacher to a principal will increase to “a $38,000 difference” in pay that might help ease the transition into, or a continuance of, an administrative role for some teachers and principals.
“There’s a significant teacher shortage,” said Knutsen. “The teacher shortage is projected to be, to worsen significantly in 2027.”
That shortage is expected to extend into vice principal and principal offices as well.
“The challenge with that is principals and vice principals need to be teachers first,” said Knutsen. “Essentially, if you have a significant teacher shortage, you’re going to have a shortage of teachers to become administrators … that’s the crux of the struggle.”
Knutsen stated another issue related to recruitment has also been at play.
“The other struggle for recruitment, in the past, is that … usually administrators end up being teachers that have had a significant amount of teaching experience.”
According to Knutsen, this “high end” of teacher’s salaries hasn’t been very different from the beginning of a vice principal position.
“So, their salary, for example, will be at the high end of the teacher salary,” said Knutsen. “There isn’t much difference … from a financial perspective. Or, there hasn’t been, up until this year,” said Knutsen, “that has changed as of September 30.”
“September 1st, 2025, max salary for a principal is $158,024, and a max salary vice principal is $140,482,” said Knutsen, adding “for that year, you’re looking at a $38,000 difference [between a senior teacher and a starting vice principal.]”
From Knutsen’s perspective, this will help teachers who feel they might need “an additional reason to maybe look in that direction.”
From Knutsen’s perspective, the Rainy River District hasn’t struggled much with retention of principals and vice principals.
“Some principals who could retire work five more years,” said Knutsen.
Moreover, Knutsen said some retirement-aged principals might stay longer with the forecasted wage increase.
“They can retire next year, but there’s a $30,000 salary increase. I can’t predict that some of them might not decide, ‘I’m going to work three more years.'”
