Power to Victorian principals leaves teachers uncertain

Brian Henderson...Victorian teachers experience loss of tenure.

Across the border, the devolution of right to hire and budgets to principals has left about one in five of Victorian teachers without permanent jobs.

By Kerri Carr

In Victoria, a principal's responsibility for the school budget (which includes teacher salaries), has a significant influence on the mix of staff at a school.

Australian Education Union Victorian Branch Secretary Brian Henderson said the number of teachers is budget-based, not number of students-based.

He said this often meant schools in rich areas can employ more teachers, and schools in growth areas could too (because applicants are graduate teachers whose salaries are not as expensive). (There is a quota on the number of graduate teacher positions a school can advertise. Anyone can apply for a classroom teacher position, but the best applicant should get the job rather than someone who is cheaper to employ.)

The mix and number of promotions positions is also at the discretion of the principal.

"In Victoria, you can't refuse a duty, but you don't necessarily get paid for it," Mr Henderson added.

Mr Henderson explained when the staff mix at some schools (teachers at the top of the scale cost more to employ) forces them into deficit, bridging funds are available, either as a repayable or non repayable loans.

He said schools pay back these loans with savings made from larger class sizes, increasing secondary teaching hours (within the confines of the industrial agreement), or not employing support staff or buying materials.

Currently there is an argument going on about employing librarians instead of teacher-librarians because librarian salaries are less than teacher-librarian salaries.

"Now, with schools managing their own budgets, they employ a number of ongoing [permanent] staff and others on contract," Mr Henderson said.

"Because principals are responsible for the budget and can't go into deficit, they put people on contract as a cushion for what might happen in five years," he added.

He explained that when student numbers decline, a school just doesn't re-employ contract teachers.

In Victoria about 18 per cent of teachers are on contract.

Mr Henderson said there were only four reasons for a position not to be permanent: replacing someone on short term leave, declining enrolments, family leave and positions funded by special funding.

He said that in the past there were four schools that had a high proportion (50 per cent]) of staff on contracts.

"The department had to counsel those principals," he said.

There is maximum five year tenure for positions above classroom teacher.

When tenure runs out a school can decide to no longer have that positions and the teacher drops back to the top of the classroom teacher scale.

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Last Modified: 03 Apr 2008