Teachers at Airds HS have postponed industrial action on the promise of a security fence.

Teachers' resolve leads to promise for fence

By

Henry Rajendra

Forty seven critical incidents was not enough for the Department of Education and Training to commit to a new perimeter fence for Airds High School, but the setting of a date for industrial action was.

Teachers at Airds HS had planned to stop work on August 23 in protest at the lack of adequate resourcing to address security issues.

Teachers were calling for immediate improvements to security measures to ensure the safety of students and staff at the school which included the provision of a new perimeter fence.

Airds HS Federation Representative David Sanders said: �The poor condition of the current fence meant that intruders had unobstructed access into the school site. There were numerous break-ins resulting in damage to school property, student work, teaching and learning resources, and personal property. However, more critically, students and staff had also suffered physical attacks by intruders.�

In the past 16 months, school records indicate that 47 critical incidents occurred caused by intruders breaching the existing dilapidated fence, damaging property and injuring staff and students.

Documented evidence indicated the Department of Education and Training had known of these incidents since April 2006.

Mr Sanders said: �Teachers at Airds High School are committed to quality teaching and learning aiming to realise the potential of all their students. All we wanted was for the State Government and the DET to support us.�

With nowhere else to turn, teachers discussed this issue at a Federation meeting. As a result Mr Sanders wrote to Education Minister John Della Bosca and Director-General Michael Coutts-Trotter on August 10 seeking their immediate intervention. Mr Sanders made it clear to both that if there was inadequate progress they would consider industrial action.

Disappointingly, the Minister and Director-General wrote to Mr Sanders with no commitment to address the school�s concerns leaving teachers no choice but to commit to industrial action.

Another Federation meeting was held and a date was set for the industrial action. Within one school day of this decision being relayed to the Minister and the DET, the Minister�s office advised of a change of position and provided a commitment to allocate funding from the current Budget to meet the teachers� demands.

Congratulations to Airds High School Federation members for their commitment and collective resolve to seek improvements at their school.

What you can do in the lead-up to the federal election

The time in the lead up to the 2007 federal election is an ideal and critically important opportunity to do all we can to address this funding injustice.

The success of the public education campaign for increased funding and support for public schools ultimately rests with the commitment of all public school communities in engaging with local MPs and candidates in the lead up to the Federal election. We must impress upon all MPs and candidates, of all political parties, the success of our schools and the need for greater government investment.

Henry Rajendra is a City Organiser.

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August 2007 contents