The Rotorua Principals' Association met on Thursday to share concerns about working conditions for teachers and principals and the effect this is having on learning and development.
The Rotorua Principals' Association met on Thursday to share concerns about working conditions for teachers and principals and the effect this is having on learning and development.
Rotorua school principals say concerns about working conditions in schools are affecting schools in the city with one receiving no applications for a position at the school.
The Rotorua Principals' Association met last week ahead of a union meeting to discuss issues in teaching.
The Ministry of Education and New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa are in negotiations to renew the primary teachers' and primary principals' collective agreements.
Todaythe union is meeting in Rotorua to discuss the ministry's offers.
Lynmore Primary School principal Lorraine Taylor said the school was being impacted by working conditions.
"We received no applicants for our recently advertised full-time teaching position," she said.
Principals from left Lynmore Primary School Lorraine Taylor, Horohoro School Eden Chapman, Rotorua Intermediate Garry de Thierry and Rotorua Principals' Association president Briar Stewart.
Horohoro School principal Eden Chapman said Rotorua teaching staff were asking for multiple changes to funding including more resources for students with high learning needs, more time and fewer students and more support staff.
"Unfortunately the Ministry of Education's offer to settle our negotiations doesn't address any of these needs," he said.
"As a teaching principal I am required to teach 35 per cent of the time. However for the past eight weeks I have not been able to set foot in a classroom to teach as all my time has been taken up with [other things].
"It's totally unsustainable for our small school to continue funding me to be out of the classroom, but it's also critical that I am available to support tamariki and whānau when they need me most."
Rotorua Intermediate principal Garry de Thierry agreed funding for support staff was needed in all schools.
"This issue is about saving future generations of children," he said.
Rotorua Principals' Association president Briar Stewart said conditions had to improve for the teaching profession as recruitment and retention statistics for education were alarming.
"Forty per cent of new teachers leave the profession within five years. Combine this with a huge decline in the number of people applying to teacher training organisations, the ageing population of principals and teachers, and the crisis seems obvious," she said.
"We need a brave response from the Ministry of Education to make teaching an attractive career.
"Young people know they can undertake other study and training that will give them better prospects and living conditions than teaching in far shorter time frames."
Rotorua members of the NZEI will meet this afternoon to discuss whether to accept a pay offer or take industrial action.
The meeting is one of many around the country to decide whether to accept or reject the pay rise and also to vote on whether to hold nationwide half-day work stoppages from 1.30-4.30pm on August 15.
The results of the voting will be made public once all the meetings are completed.
Concerns raised by the NZEI include teacher shortages and support for additional learning needs.
The ministry has offered a pay rise ranging between 2.2 and 2.6 per cent a year for three years for most primary school teachers.
Ministry of Education deputy secretary early learning and student achievement Ellen MacGregor-Reid has previously said the ministry had put a fair offer on the table and would continue to negotiate in good faith.
Some of what the union wants - Significant pay increases for teachers and principals. A 16 per cent pay rise over the two years. - Significant increases to staffing available to all schools to support leaders, classroom teachers and teachers working with students with additional learning needs. - More resource teacher positions nationwide, to better reflect student need. - Reducing the teacher:student ratio for year 4-8 students from 1:29 down to 1:25. - Increasing the professional leadership staffing entitlement for schools. - Remove the qualification based salary cap for primary teachers. Source: NZEI
