Education chiefs underspent on school staff by more than £750,000 last year, leading to questions over Dundee City Council’s ability to address teaching shortages.
In recent years local authorities across the country have struggled to attract enough teachers, with many schools starting the year with vacant posts.
The competition for staff at both primary and secondary level has created a bidding war, with councils offering incentives to teachers.
At one point in 2015, Dundee was said to have the country’s highest number of teaching vacancies as the council struggled to secure staff.
In October, the city’s executive director of Children and Families’ Service, Michael Wood, said he believed the council had “weathered the storm”.
Ahead of a meeting of the council’s policy and resources committee this evening, however, Labour group education spokesman Laurie Bidwell said: “The revelation in a committee report that the council has underspent £750,000 on staff in our schools up until November 30 2015 suggests that the shortage of teachers in our schools has not gone away.
“From these figures, it would appear that as many as 30 staff, mainly teachers, have been missing from our schools.
“On behalf of pupils, parents and carers and teachers and support staff, I have written to Michael Wood to seek clarification about how these classes are being covered.
“I have also asked whether he and his staff remain committed to making this happen and what improvements in staffing levels we can expect before the end of the month.”
In a bid to fill posts, Dundee City Council considered a number of measures, including inviting recently retired teachers to return to work.
In response, education convener Stewart Hunter said the department has always been “open and honest” about the teacher shortage.
He said: “We have never hidden away from the issue we are facing.
“It is a national issue and we are working hard to attract people to fill these vacancies.”
Since the figures were compiled, Mr Hunter said another 16 teachers have been recruited to city posts and the council is committed to maintaining and, it is hoped, improving the staffing situation in the light of difficult budget decisions to come.
He added: “In the meantime I want to say thank you to the staff who have been working so hard during this difficult time.
“We are very lucky to have the staff we have.”