DECISIONS OF COUNCIL 18 FEBRUARY 2017
The minutes of 26 November, 2016 were CONFIRMED
1. ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS
a. The Federation Returning Officer’s Report on Federation elections conducted at 26 November 2016 Council
Report received.
b. The Federation Returning Officer’s Report on Federation elections conducted at 18 February Council
Election of Executive Vice Presidents (4), declared elected in the following order, determined by a ballot: Denis Fitzgerald Gemma Ackroyd Tim Mulroy Jennifer Mace
Election of Custodians (2) Dianne Byers Margaret Vos
Election of Aboriginal member on Executive (1) Russell Honnery
Election of Association Representatives on Council (8) Natasha Watt Kylie Dawson Julie Ross Mike Morgan Annette Bennet Phil Cooke Kathryn Bellach Robert Bartulovich
Report received.
c. The Federation Returning Officer’s Report on Federation elections to be conducted at 18 March Council
Report received.
d. Annual Conference (Additional Conference Delegates)
Report received.
Decisions of Council 2 18 February 2017
e. Councillor Elections 2017-2018
Report received.
f. Financial Report
Report received.
g. Financial Budget – 2017
Report received and adopted.
h. Honoraria and Allowances 2017
Report received and adopted.
i. Emergency Disaster Fund – Dunedoo/Coolah
Report received.
j. Membership Report
Report received.
2. SENIOR OFFICERS’ REFERENCE
______
Statement of solidarity re Roberto Baradel, General Secretary, SUTEBA (Union of Education Workers – Province of Buenos Aires).
The NSW Teachers Federation is gravely concerned at reports of death threats against Argentinian teacher unionist, Roberto Baradel, General Secretary of the Sindicato Unificado de Trabajadores de la Educacion de Buenos Aires (SUTEBA) and members of his family.
The Federation supports calls made by Education International, and other teacher unions around the globe, for the government of Argentina to investigate the threats and to provide immediate protection to those threatened.
A message of solidarity will be sent to SUTEBA.
In addition, the Federation will communicate our concerns to the Embassy of the Argentine Republic in Canberra.
Decisions of Council 3 18 February 2017
3. SCHOOLS FUNDING CAMPAIGN ______
The schools funding campaign has reached a critical stage with an even greater urgency to secure the fully-funded Gonski model. The Federal Government continues to state that it will scrap the needs-based model and replace it with a new funding deal that would cut $3.8 billion from schools. While the Federal Minister has revealed that formal negotiations have not begun, the Federal Government still claims it can reach agreement with states and territories to deliver a new funding scheme for 2018.
The Federation will continue to ensure that the Gonski campaign remains the priority. All members and schools will be required to intensify the campaign on the ground, in support of the national campaign, in the lead-up to the next scheduled Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting in April at which schools funding arrangements beyond 2017 must be determined.
Between 2014-2017, NSW public schools will have received only 36 per cent of Gonski funding. The remainder is due to be delivered under the NSW-Commonwealth Gonski agreement in the final two transition years, 2018-2019. The additional funding already committed will mean that the proportion of the Schooling Resources Standard reached increases from 84% in 2014 to 88% by the end of 2017.
An analysis of the current Federal Coalition plan, as exposed in the May budget, reveals:
a cut of $5.28 billion from all schools between 2016-2020 compared with the full six transition years of Gonski funding.
while both private and public schools would receive less compared to Gonski, public schools would be the hardest hit, losing $4.4 billion.
of the $1.2 billion the Federal Coalition has promised over four years, only 38% ($450 million) would go to public schools with 62% ($750 million) to private schools.
per student funding to public schools would increase by just 1.8% in 2018-2019 and 2.1% in 2019-2020 – less than the amount required to employ one additional teacher at an average school of 500 students.
The national campaign strategy
Polling in NSW target seats has revealed 64% of voters support Gonski with 84% aware of the Federal Government’s plan to cut Gonski funding. All members in all schools are to be engaged in the campaign in order to continue to build community support.
The Federation will continue to work in close collaboration with the AEU Federal office, other AEU state branches and bodies, allied education organisations, the union movement and community organisations to gain widespread support for the campaign.
The campaign strategy should aim to maximise local action.
All schools will be encouraged:
to present their stories to the online Getting Results Volume 2 template. invite local State and Federal MPs to school to see at first hand the programs funded by Gonski. ensure that a submission has been made to the NSW Parliament Inquiry into the Provision of Education to Students with Disability and Special Needs in Schools. address P&C meetings throughout first term in the lead up to the COAG meeting in April.
Decisions of Council 4 18 February 2017
ensure at least each Workplace Committee has a Gonski Coordinator. distribute campaign material and social media postings. support the national Gonski bus tour where possible.
All Associations are to:
organise delegations to both Federal and State MPs, including Duty Senators. support the targeted seat campaign where applicable support the national Gonski bus tour where possible engage in social media campaigning
Getting Results Volume 2
The second volume will be released at AEU Federal Conference. Federation will develop a media strategy to maximise its impact and encourage schools to use the online template.
National Gonski Bus Tour
The Federation will support the national Gonski bus tour that begins on March 1 and ends on March 22 outside Parliament House, Canberra. The tour will visit schools and key electorates in order to gain continuous commercial and social media coverage of the campaign in the lead-up to the COAG meeting.
Bus 1 will be launched in Adelaide, and Bus 2 launched in Brisbane, on March 1. Bus 1 will be delivered to the Federation on March 17. The handover to the Federation of Bus 2 will be March 10.
Federation will ensure that support for the bus tour at a local level is maximised. Merchandise, written material, media releases, campaign kits, paid advertising and other resources as appropriate will be developed before the launch of the buses for local and central use.
March Council will host the Gonski bus with an action developed in order to gain media attention for the campaign.
4. BUMP IT UP STRATEGY ______
The NSW Teachers Federation remains concerned that an overly hasty and under-resourced Bump It Up (BIU) strategy will be counterproductive.
These concerns are compounded by the external imposition of this strategy, the potential for NAPLAN and other standardised tests to be seriously misused and schools being required to focus on yet another program without sustained and substantial resource support.
In negotiations to date, the Department has undertaken to
include Federation nominees on the Literacy and Numeracy Stakeholder Engagement group; and
liaise with the Federation in planning for the Department conference organised for BIU schools on 3-4 April in the last week of Term 1, and consider including Federation nominated representatives and presenters on the conference agenda.
Federation’s continued involvement with the BIU strategy and these processes will be contingent upon:
Decisions of Council 5 18 February 2017
1. the Department upholding the professional judgement of classroom teachers, executives and principals in developing and implementing formative and summative assessment strategies that most effectively support student learning in literacy and numeracy;
2. the Department’s withdrawal of its proposal to require all BIU schools to conduct the online Progressive Achievement Tests (PAT) produced by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), for all students in Years 2-9 in Term 1 and Term 3 each year; and
3. confirmation from the Department that NAPLAN will not be used in ways that undermine the quality pedagogy and authentic assessment practices currently being implemented by schools.
Consistent with the Council decision of 26 November 2016, Federation has organised a campaigns course to be held on Tuesday 7 March 2017. This will enable participants to further consider the issues involved, including up-to-date academic research as to the limitations of education statistics including NAPLAN, and contribute to the campaign to uphold high quality teaching and learning for NSW public school students.
The gains being achieved through the implementation of the Gonski funding model in NSW public schools are at risk of being undermined by the data driven thinking and practice of current Department policy initiatives such as the Bump It Up (BIU) strategy and the broader Literacy and Numeracy strategy.
Whilst students are benefiting from additional Gonski funding being allocated to school budgets for locally determined teaching and learning initiatives, there is grossly insufficient system-wide support available to schools.
This failing is alarmingly evident in the Department’s refusal to allocate Gonski funding at a state level to provide the necessary personnel and resource support, through a targeted program approach, to address the implications of the proposed introduction of a minimum standard of literacy and numeracy achievement for the HSC.
No state-wide program of support for students or schools yet exists to assist those students identified as being “at risk” of not achieving an HSC. As a result of the growing obsession with standardised tests and data collection as a substitute for supporting quality teaching and learning, we face the prospect of many students not being awarded an HSC in years to come.
March Council will receive a comprehensive report from the Senior Officers on the progress of negotiations around all elements of the programs and policies impacting on the literacy and numeracy needs of students in the public school system. Council will consider the strongest range of responses if the Department continues to impose its test and data driven agenda while failing to provide the required support for teachers and schools to meet the literacy and numeracy needs of students.
5. WORK-RELATED STRESS AND TEACHING AND LEARNING AUDIT ______
The Safe Work NSW “Work Health and Safety Road Map 2022” has identified the need to address a range of issues such as “the drivers of poor mental health at work including workplace bullying, work pressure, exposure to traumatic events and violence” (p. 7). As a consequence consultation is occurring around the development of the “Mentally Healthy Workplace Strategy”. The Federation is engaged in the consultation process and will be active in pursuing appropriate initiatives which support teachers, executives, principals and workplace managers in public education.
Decisions of Council 6 18 February 2017
It is clear that the intensity and volume of work-related demands on teachers, executives and principals is increasing and this is having a negative impact on their health and safety. The Department declined the Federation’s offer to form a joint working party to conduct a survey to identify the risk factors associated with work-related stress. Their response was that there are “comprehensive policies and procedures in place for managing work-related stress”. The TAFE Commission also rejected the Federation’s proposal.
Contrary to the assertions of both the Department and TAFE about the effectiveness of their risk management strategies there is evidence of increasing levels of psychological injury. The Audit Office of NSW (Volume 13 Report on Education, Financial Controls December 2016) has recommended that “the Department should consider the effectiveness of workplace health and safety strategies for addressing the rise in psychological injuries”. The Report identified that in 2015-16 the total number of claims related to psychological injury “has increased by 32.5%” from 2014-15 and the “associated cost of claims has increased by 71.5% from $15.1 million to $25.9 million”.
The People Matter Survey 2016 results points to many of the risk factors for work related stress. These risk factors include work demands, low levels of control in terms of meeting these demands, poorly managed relationships, poorly managed change and level of organisational justice in terms of whether work policies and procedures are fair. These risk factors are acknowledged by Safe Work NSW as requiring risk management.
The following excerpts from the results of the People Matter Employee Survey 2016 suggest a need for both the Department and TAFE senior management to take action on work related stress at an organisational level.
Level of Agreement Questions Teachers in Schools1 Teachers in TAFE2 I feel that senior managers3 keep employees informed about what’s going 51% 29% on I feel that senior managers listen to 47% 22% employees I feel that change is handled well in my organisation 50% 21%
I have confidence in the ways the 47% 35% organisation resolves grievances. I am able to keep my work stress at an 46% 42% acceptable level My organisation offers practical employment arrangements and 41% 44% conditions to help achieve work/life balance In the last 12 months I have witnessed 40% 37% bullying at work In the last 12 months I have been 22% 20% subject to bullying at work I am confident that I would be protected 52% 41% from reprisal for reporting
1 Public Schools – Teachers Report 2 TAFE Commission report for 10 TAFE Institutes and TAFE Corporate Units 3 Senior Managers are identified in the People Matter Employee Survey as the most senior managers in the organisation, eg secretary, deputy secretary, executive director.
Decisions of Council 7 18 February 2017
Level of Agreement Questions Teachers in Schools1 Teachers in TAFE2 misconduct/wrongdoings
The Federation will utilise the results of the People Matter Employee Survey, relevant research as well as Annual Conference and Council policies and recommendations in developing a research project aimed at identifying the risk factors associated with work related stress, the underlying causes or ‘drivers’ of these risks and the experience of teachers, executives, principals and managers in schools and TAFE.
The project will utilise both qualitative and quantitative data including the survey described in the Annual Conference 2016 policy. In addition, a key focus of the project for school members will be the “Teaching and Learning Audit” described by Annual Conference which will investigate the “amount of time and effort spent on administration, paperwork, meetings, routines and tasks that distract and divert classroom teachers, executives and principals from the teaching and learning process that directly benefits students and makes for a fulfilling professional career”.
The findings of the project will inform Federation campaigns in terms of pursuing additional workplace support and a significant reduction in the demands made on teachers, executives and principals which are unnecessary and/or unproductive and/or unreasonable and divert from the core work of teaching and learning.
6. SALARIES AND CONDITIONS – CURRENT AWARD AND EA ISSUES/NEGOTIATIONS ______
Report received.