Ms. Tebbutt said, "The NSW Government takes responsibility for making sure that every school in NSW is staffed with experienced teachers and we will continue to do so. The Coalition will destroy the NSW Staffing Agreement."

A year later, the NSW ALP Government is proposing to dismantle the state-wide staffing system.

In putting forward their 2008 policy each and every member of the Government is aware that they will hurt many schools and communities. Some of those communities will be the ones already suffering disadvantage.

The unilateral staffing announcement must be seen in conjunction with the Government"s 2.5 per cent pay offer, the removal of teacher education qualifications for TAFE teachers and its refusal to employ the additional permanent teachers the system needs.

Put together the NSW Government "Education Revolution" means lower standards for education, fewer teachers and a salary cut.
[READ MORE]

Stewart House gives children the opportunity of enjoying the life of a child, often for the first time. Children from Kindergarten to Year 10 are eligible. There is NO cost to children’s parents. Children are given medical, dental and optometric assessments and if necessary treatment and/or referral to an appropriate specialist. In order to pay for the costs of the children’s food, their bedding, the excursions we take them on, their supervisors’ salaries and various operating costs, we must now raise $2.7 million each year. Supervisors must be employed to care for the children in their dormitories overnight and to supervise them at meal times and on excursions and weekend activities.

Currently, 7840 DET staff contribute some $800,000 per annum towards running costs at Stewart House. A mandatory fire upgrade across Stewart House's site means the charity projects a more than $200,000 loss this year unless significantly more people make donations.

Stewart House is the official charity of the NSW Teachers Federation. The Federation calls on its members to join the salary contribution scheme for Stewart House or, if they are already Stewart House supporters, to consider increasing their support.

More about Stewart House
[READ MORE]

A National Priority

Public education is part of a great Australian tradition and success story. Our public schools offer all Australians the opportunity to strive for individual excellence to build a positive future for themselves, their families and the common good.

Free, secular and universally accessible public education has directly shaped Australia's past and present. Accepting all students regardless of cultural, religious, racial or economic background, geographical location or special needs, public education remains the key to a vibrant, socially-cohesive, multicultural, democratic Australia.

Governments must invest a greater share of our nation's resources in the most precious of all national assets - the public education of our children and fellow citizens. In doing, so our great public schools can be even greater.

The NSW Teachers Federation and other Australian Education Union branches and affilates are calling on the Federal Government to immediately commit to fund the public education national recurrent funding shortfall of $2.9 billion dollars necessary to meet the national resource standard as identified by the MCEETYA Schools Resource Taskforce.

[READ MORE]

TAKE ACTION NOW!

• Hold a meeting to consider the support and resourcing needs of special education students in your workplace and, in consultation with your organiser, develop and implement appropriate political and/or industrial strategies to secure improvements in your school.
• School staffs are authorised, in consultation with their organiser, to take action to address potential and actual breaches of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and to prevent educational disadvantage to students. OHS matters that should be considered include teacher workload and student violence.
• Let the Minister, local members of parliament and the DET know about your concerns. Pro forma letters are included to assist with this.
• Use the attached resource material to assist you with action in your school.

The Federation acknowledges that there have been a number of significant improvements in support for Special Education in NSW public schools in recent years. These have included the establishment of additional special education classes, especially Autism and ED classes, the establishment of behaviour schools and units, and the appointment of an additional 700 teachers aides special. In most cases these have been secured as the result of action by the Federation and action by members in particular schools.

Nevertheless, significant areas of concern remain. These include the increasing of special education class sizes to fund the provision of a full-time teachers aide for every special education class, the continued integration of students into the mainstream without adequate resources and support, the failure to apply the secondary staffing formula to SSPs with secondary students, the failure to adequately address OHS concerns, especially where those have arisen in relation to violent students, the removal of STLA allocations where a significant need continues to exist in a school, the inadequacy of integration funding support and the inadequacy of counselling and therapy services. Some of these issues arise because the DET’s cost-neutral approach to areas of support (e.g STLAs) leads to the withdrawal and reallocation of support from schools with a continuing need.

Workload continues to be a problem for teachers both in special education and integrated settings. Much of this is related to day-to-day care, assessments, preparation, individual learning programs and individual health plans and coordinating work with teachers’ aides.

Matters being pursued by the Federation with the state political parties include:

(a) the restoration of special education class sizes to pre-2005 levels with the maintenance of an aide on each class

(b) secondary staffing supplementation for all SSPs with secondary age student enrolments

(c) the provision of additional teaching staff where necessary to ensure that teaching staff are always available to intervene in crisis situations

(d) inbuilt relief for ED/BD classes and schools, in recognition of the difficulties experienced in attracting appropriate casual relief

(e) additional school counsellor support for ED/BD schools and classes

(f) improvements in integration funding including full funding for transportation of all SSP students to and from their homes to the schools where integration takes place

(g) significant improvements to the provision of speech therapy and occupational therapy for special education students, including those integrated into mainstream classes(h) adequate provision of ED/BD classes in rural and remote settings

(i) the provision of special transport for all SSP students to and from their homes to respite cottages and to and from their respite cottages to school

(j) funding to support NESB students with learning difficulties, behavioural and any other special needs.
[READ MORE]

The conference, which was organised by the Alliance, was an extraordinary success. More than 500 people attended and listened to speakers of international renown talking of the critical importance of a properly resourced public education system to a healthy democracy.

As the speakers' papers become available, they will be posted on the Cornerstones website.

The communique identifies five key priorities. In summary, these are free, public preschool education; additional targeted resources for smaller classes and specialist programs in years 7 and 8; greater support for children with identified needs; preparing and supporting future generations of teachers and existing teachers and maintenance and capital works programs conducive to effective teaching and learning in the 21st century.

Governments must address these priorities to ensure our great public schools can be even greater.

Cornerstones Conference Papers

With support from the NSW Teachers Federation and the NSW Department of Education, NSW public schools will unite as part of the inaugural UNICEF Day for Change to celebrate Universal Children's Day on October 25, 2006 for the benefit of children around the world.

Every public school in NSW is encouraged to celebrate UNICEF Day for Change by holding a fundraising activity on October 25 with students making a gold coin donation. Teachers will integrate development issues and elements of UNICEF’s work into their lessons.

Student leaders are also encouraged to work with fellow students to raise awareness of their role as global citizens.

More information from UNICEF

DET Day for Change page

NSW Attorney General, Robert Debus MP, and NSW Solicitor General, Michael Sexton SC, addressed the conference.

Approximately 300 teachers attended the conference.
[READ MORE]

In negotiations around the the TAFE Temporary - Conditions of Employment Policy the Department agreed that " Where it is proposed to extend a TAFE Temporary Teacher position beyond two years from the date of its creation, Institutes should consider whether there is a need to create a permanent TAFE Teacher position (instead of extending the TAFE Temporary Teacher position)." The Department also agreed that programs of 19 hours or more for 12 weeks or more should not be disaggregated.

The Federation wrote to the Minister for Education & Training, Carmel Tebbutt on 30 June 2006 around the conversion to permanency of TAFE Temporary Teachers and other educational staff such Education Officers. The Federation has asked the Minister to support the development of an instrument such as a change to the Act, Regulations or an industrial agreement which would allow such educational employees to seek conversion to permanency after two years consistent with section 31 of the Public Sector Employment & Management Act.

This would mean that temporary educational employees would have the same right to seek conversion to permanency as other Public Sector Employees including TAFE administrative and support staff.

In a response dated 28 August 2006, Minister Tebbutt expressed sympathy with the Federations proposal, but has referred the matter to the Department to investigate the implications.

Members are encouraged to send the attached letter on conversion to permanency to Minister Tebbutt, Premier Iemma and local State Member of Parliament.
[READ MORE]