Among the regional schools in NSW drastically losing their best teachers from early childhood to Year 12 are schools in Dubbo, Orange and Mudgee with dozens resigning in the last 18 months alone.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A spokesperson for the NSW Teachers' Federation in the region, Tim Danaher said the proposed increase of entry-level salary for classroom teachers to $73,737 and up to $117,060 and $126,528 for the assistant principal role is not the answer to addressing teachers leaving the profession.
"This idea has been the subject of announcement and re-announcement for 20 years including the last couple of months...It highlights the government is yet again tinkering at the edges and not listening to the profession," Mr Danaher said.
"It is another attempt to deflect attention from the fact that teachers' salaries have been suppressed by the government for over a decade.
"They have yet to do anything to address the insurmountable workload facing teachers which are heavily contributing to burnout and large numbers leaving the profession."
As dozens of teachers resign, Delroy College in Dubbo, for instance, had been unable to deliver "over 2,000 lessons [that] collapsed or unable to be taught due to staff shortages", Mr Danaher said.
At Mudgee High School, students had minimal supervision or were placed in merged classes which happened almost 2,000 times.
At Canobolas Rural Technology High School in Orange, the students were merged more than 1,500 times as students' regular learning schedules were disrupted by a lack of staff.
The number of students in every classroom of these schools has also ballooned to a minimum of 30 students Mr Danaher said "is an unacceptable number for students' learning being disrupted."
The teachers in public and independent schools jointly held protests in Dubbo, and across the state, last June seeking up to seven per cent increase in their wages, address work overload as well as a suite of practical solutions to retaining current teachers.
The NSW government has offered a 1.5 per cent increase every year over three years.
Mr Danaher said the NSW parliament and education department are both aware of the situation in regional schools.
"Dozens and dozens are leaving the profession due to excessive workload and non-competitive salaries. This number will continue to rise as the shortage gets worse," Mr Danaher said.
"This [staffing] shortage has been around for a decade at least and COVID has just made the situation worse."
A proposed strategy called HALT or Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers which was among the basis of the education reforms developed by the department with education expert professor John Hattie has been discussed by teachers.
So far, only 200 teachers in NSW are currently "accessing the HALT processes and positions", Mr Danaher said.
HALT listed the professional standards for raising the quality of teachers as having graduated with a teaching degree or higher, being proficient in subjects they are teaching, being highly accomplished, and can teach effectively as the lead teacher.
The federation president Angelo Gavrielatos has earlier proposed to the department the recruitment of a minimum of 11,000 and up to 13,724 teachers by 2031 to meet increasing enrolment growth based on a recommendation from a report by education economist Adam Rorris.
By 2031, Mr Gavrielatos said NSW schools will require 68,225 full-time teachers or 25 percent more than the current 54,502 teachers which "would still be below the required numbers considering the projected rise in students' needs and complexity in schools".
IN OTHER NEWS:
- Riverbank Frank shares his experience with alcohol abuse as chronic illnesses plague indigenous community
- Police find sauce bottle bong in business owner's vehicle
- Secret deals, rumours and misinformation: What is actually happening with Regand Park?
- A Mendooran farmer and a Dubbo activist: Climate change wars alive on landmark bill
But education minister Sarah Mitchell was adamant about the proposed higher pay scale she announced on Thursday saying, "This model is not a performance pay, this is about expanding the career options for teachers and keeping our best in the classroom".
Under the department's new ground-breaking plans designed by professor Hattie, classroom teachers will be rewarded for excellence in teaching to modernise the state's education system.
"NSW has some of the best teachers in the world, but they often leave the classroom and move into management roles to secure higher pay and career progression," Ms Mitchell said.
"The structure of our teaching profession should reflect our teachers, by being innovative, ambitious and modern, keeping more of our best teachers in the classroom."
Ms Mitchell said an extensive public consultation with teachers, parents and other stakeholders in the education sector will be held before any changes are implemented.