Parliament House briefing on Local Schools – Local Decisions

NSW Teachers Federation President, Maurie Mulheron, presented a briefing to NSW State MPs yesterday about the NSW government’s Local Schools – Local Decisions agenda.  The briefing was attended by members of parliament from the Greens, the Labor Party and the Education Minister, Adrian Piccoli.

School principals Kathy Deacon and Gemma Ackroyd, and Judy King, retired principal, also participated in the briefing.

In his briefing, Maurie described the government’s agenda as principals being forced to self-manage their school’s decline as budgets shrink. He emphasised the financial nature of the changes that are being driven by Treasury and corporate consultants rather than educationalists.  He also criticised the lack of genuine consultation and secrecy surrounding the planning that he says has a pre-determined agenda.

In other parts of the world, and in other states of Australia, devolution of the sort being proposed here has been followed by budget cuts resulting in staff reductions, increased class sizes and a narrowing of curriculum.

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