Councils have criticised the Scottish Government’s deal to maintain teacher numbers, describing the move as “counter-productive” and a “constraint on flexibility”.
Local authorities signed up to an agreement in February to safeguard the number of teaching posts in Scotland in 2015/16 in return for a share of a funding package.
But cash will be “clawed back” from those councils which fail to hit the target.
Teacher census figures due to be published next week will show whether they have been successful.
Local authorities said there should be a “reasonable test” for those councils which have done all they can to maintain numbers but have faced difficulties in recruitment.
Speaking as she gave evidence to Holyrood’s Education Committee, Councillor Jenny Laing, leader of Aberdeen City Council, said it had offered “golden hellos”, invested in recruitment campaigns and had even started offering accommodation to entice teachers to the city in an effort to meet the target.
“Being bound by pupils-teacher ratios causes us difficulties as we go forward,” she said.
“We have difficulties in our secondary schools, particularly around the Stem subjects because of the competing nature of the oil sector and people wanting to go and work there.
“Because obviously our budgets are tied into the pupil-teacher ratios, and there was the threat this year that if we didn’t meet the teacher numbers that there would be claw back of our budgets, that puts us under pressure, as I am sure it does our authorities as well.”
She called for a “reasonable test” for the money that could be clawed back if the target was missed.
“I don’t think we should be disadvantaged because we have got a national issue with recruitment and retention of teachers,” Ms Laing said.
“So I would speak up very strongly that we need to look at that, I think the Scottish Government needs to take that into account when they are looking to claw back money.”
Councillor Gary Robinson, leader of Shetland Islands Council, said his authority had ended up employing three teachers that it did not need in order to hit the target.
He said the council had been the last one to sign up to deal last year, but it had “come to regret it, because in reality the penalty for missing the target was less than the (cost of) three teachers we have had to employ to maintain our 10 to one ratio”.
He added: “I think that’s counter-productive at a time when colleagues are struggling to recruit teachers, that we have been forced to take on more teachers than we actually need.”
Robert Nicol, chief officer for children and young people at council body Cosla, told the committee: “We are increasingly concerned about pressure to maintain teachers.
“The magnifying impact that has on other budgets starts to erode your ability to tackle real issues around vulnerability.”
He said councils were being penalised for very small changes in the pupil-teacher ratios.
“You have no evidence that suggests that change in the ratio has any impact on attainment,” he said.
“That’s why we think that constrains flexibility for councils.”