Pilot for increased school-based conflict

By

Gary Zadkovich

Department adopts break or break-through approach that pits teachers against principals.

Department of Education (DET) senior managers must be pleased with the conflict generated by their 47-school pilot.

Having 'freed' pilot principals from the 'constraints' of state-wide staffing formulae that guarantee teacher positions and curriculum provision for students, they can now observe what happens in this experiment with devolving power, responsibility and blame to schools.

So what's happened so far?

Schools have been nominated for the pilot against the will of the majority of teachers and in breach of the National Partnerships Implementation Plan.

A teacher-librarian position is traded off. What's next? An assistant principal or head teacher position left unfilled so the money can be used for something else?

Loftus PS - trading off a teacher-librarian position

Professional teachers with the experience, expertise, knowledge, skills and commitment should make school decisions. And they do. What Federation opposes, however, is "increased school-based decision-making" being used to deregulate state-wide staffing, curriculum and resourcing guarantees that deliver equity and excellence for students.

Trading off a teacher-librarian position at Loftus PS to fund other programs is simply unacceptable.

Kyogle HS

Federation congratulates members at Kyogle High School for taking stop-work action on February 16 to protest against their school's inclusion in this pilot. Members in schools across the state expressed support for their Kyogle High colleagues in defending state-wide staffing formulae and resource provision.

It is clear from this dispute that DET management is content with pitting principals against teachers and generating conflict and division in school communities. It is regrettable that principals and teachers, as Federation members, are pushed into this position. Instead of encouraging collaborative, participatory and shared decision-making, where all parties are accorded due respect, DET has given the green light to a break or break-through approach.

It is crude, damaging and totally unnecessary.

Successful schools are built on teamwork, cooperation, mutual respect, collegiality and a shared commitment to do the very best for students.

The imposition of managerial power is anathema to productive, harmonious and effective school culture and practice.

It is regrettable that current DET senior management should aim to turn principals away from their primary role as educational leaders and re-cast them into line managers like themselves. As if principals ever enrolled in a university teaching degree to become a site and money manager, rather than a professional teacher who might one day become an educational leader?

Attempts to devolve "increased decision-making" to school principals are laced with additional time and work demands for these Federation members, who already endure a huge workload and great responsibility as principals within their school communities.

Federation will continue to support all members - principals, executives and classroom teachers - in the campaign to uphold Federation policy in defence of high-quality public education for all students.

Gary Zadkovich is the Deputy President.

Devolution pilot: the truth revealed

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