Statewide staffing system 'fair and just'...Shirley Steel.

Statewide staffing system 'the rock'

The statewide staffing operation is the rock she needs to survive, Whalan Public School principal Shirley Steel says.

She said a statewide staffing system based on transfers offers a fair and just government commitment to staffing all schools.

"That's why we have it.

"You need a fair system that staffs schools such as mine and allows staff to have some broader experience across a range of schools.

"Without transfers, there is no incentive for staff to work in hard to staff areas," she added.

Ms Steel said with the complexity and needs of her school if the statewide staffing system was removed she would spend an unacceptable amount of her time managing staffing.

"I already spend many hours on this important and difficult aspect of management," she said.

"I have a large number of special classes, I work in a hard to staff school and regularly throughout the year I have staffing problems that I need support with.

"The statewide staffing operation is the rock I need to survive. Any diminution of this would immediately place my school in jeopardy."

Ms Steel said that in relation to executive staffing, her school receives very few applications for any of the advertised positions.

"I dread the thought of how few applications we will receive if [the statewide staffing system was removed]."

"I have a reasonable number of new appointments at my school each year and overwhelmingly they have met my needs. They have been excellent appointments," Ms Steel said.

"I can't begin to contemplate what the workload for a school like mine would be if I could not use the current staffing procedures."

"Staff in schools like mine are very willing to work with us in the knowledge that they gain great satisfaction and wonderful skills for their time in an equity school, however, they know that they accumulate good transfer points which will help them transfer to a more favourable area once they are ready."

Ms Steel warned: "Remove the current statewide support from the staffing system and remove the incentives and lessen the number of transfer opportunities and schools like mine will be back where we were a number of years ago with classes we cannot cover."

Sweeping changes proposed to the staffing system

Federation's major claims for 2008

Equity issue for students

Goodwill would dry up

Maximising chances for all students

Opportunities in the bush

Scholarship attraction based on transfer promise

Teachers speak up for the system

Think about the country

Transfers bring new enthusiasm

Transfers bring new perspectives

For further information

February 2008 contents