Proposed changes are not 'improvements'

The following letter to the editor was distributed to media organisations throughout NSW.

NSW Education Minister John Della Bosca describes the proposed changes to public schools staffing policy as 'improvements'. The reality is quite different.

From the start of the next school term, teacher service transfers will be dismantled and replaced by the local selection of teachers in each school.

Two weeks before the March 2007 state election, former Education Minister Carmel Tebbutt described the effect of such changes:

"Schools in favourable locations, in cities and towns along the coast, will take their pick of applicants. Schools in less favoured locations will be forced to accept what they can and in many cases they will not have sufficient staff."

In Western Australia, this is a lesson hard learned. When local selection was expanded in the same way the NSW Minister is now proposing, an extensive teacher shortage resulted. The WA government had to restore the transfer system to staff its schools.

Previous NSW Education Ministers understood that a statewide transfer system ensures stability, security and teacher supply to 2240 public schools. That is why they supported a staffing agreement with the current procedures.

Mr Della Bosca is the first Minister since 1993 to cast aside a staffing agreement and attempt to dismantle the teacher transfer system.

To avoid a major industrial dispute and disruption in schools, the Teachers Federation sought the support of the state principal and parent groups for a cooperative approach on this issue. We proposed a twelve months extension of the current staffing agreement, so that working parties comprising parent, principal and teacher representatives could work together with the Department to develop new policy and procedures.

The Minister rejected this plan and is proceeding to impose changes from 28 April.

Parents and students can be assured that the Teachers Federation will campaign to protect public schools from such damaging changes.

On Tuesday 8 April, Stop Work Sky Channel meetings will occur. Students' education will be disrupted for up to two hours as teachers stop work to hear a report on developments and vote on future action.

While strike action is regrettable, teachers will not stand back and allow our students' rights to a quality education to be undermined.

Strike action could be avoided, if the Minister were to decide that working with the public education community is preferable to working against us.

The plan for a resolution of this dispute remains on offer.

Yours sincerely

Gary Zadkovich

Senior Vice President

NSW Teachers Federation

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Last Modified: 03 Apr 2008