Release time sought for teaching principals and deputies

Teaching principals and their deputies at many of the state’s smaller public schools are working longer hours after work to keep pace with an increasing load of administrative and compliance responsibilities, Member for Northern Tablelands Richard Torbay has told Parliament.
“We are losing good experienced teachers through stress and burn out because the demands on their time are unreasonable compared with executive staff at other public schools,” he said.
“It is an equity matter that affects around a quarter of the State’s primary schools and it needs to be addressed.”
At issue is the predicament of principals of the 600 NSW public schools with enrolments of less than 160 students and who currently have a full teaching load. They are required to meet the same administrative requirements as principals of schools with more than 160 students who are class free.
Mr Torbay recently met with members of the Primary Principals Association (PPA) in Sydney regarding their claims for one day per week for Principal PP6s and Assistant Principals; two and a half days per week for Principal PP5s and Deputy Principals, and half a day per week for each six permanent members of staff.
It would cost an annual $64million to provide the release time, amounting to around half of one percent of the state education budget. PPA representatives have put a case to the government that removal of the one per cent efficiency saving requested of the Department of Education and Training would neutralise this cost immediately.
“I have a list from the PPA of 80 extra tasks schools are being asked to undertake in addition to normal teaching loads,” Mr Torbay said. “Most of these are generated by the government as initiatives to improve school governance, accountability and teaching quality.
“The responsibility for carriage of these tasks inevitably falls on the shoulders of school principals and their deputies. While no one would quarrel with necessary education reforms it is unjust that executive staff who teach full time should be required to undertake so much extra work after hours.
“Many of these experienced executive teachers are leaving the profession through stress, burnout and quite justified outrage at the inequity of their situation.”