Union fears school will dump staff

The teachers’ union is investigating claims at least seven Howick Intermediate staff could lose their jobs with only a month's notice.

Numerous complaints about staffing and financial issues by some of the staff prompted the New Zealand Education Institute to seek more information.

Representatives approa-ched the school to get an urgent meeting with the principal and board of trustees earlier this month without success.

The institute is now waiting to hear when the school will talk to it.

"The sooner we can get into the school the better," regional manager Pamela Hill says.

"We are concerned and want to make the process as smooth as possible."

It’s believed staff were advised by principal John McAleese and the board of trustees that some jobs would be lost because of lack of funds, and those having to leave would be informed within a month and given one month to find another position.

"No teacher should be given one month’s notice," Ms Hill says.

"We are confident that staff will remain in work in the immediate future, whether it be at the school or elsewhere.’’

Legally permanent staff have up to 30 weeks to find other employment, a fixed-term teacher is required to finish their contract.

The school has up to 80 staff members, 44 are permanent teachers, along with one on a fixed-term contract, Mr McAleese says.

When the union came to the school, he says it wasn’t felt necessary to speak to it.

"The union is entitled to come into the school to visit its members," he says.

Mr McAleese declined to comment on whether staff were told some might lose their jobs.

"All schools review their staffing from time to time.’’

Two former Howick Intermediate teachers are unsurprised by the situation.

The teachers, who did not want to be named, say they left the school, because of issues with its management.

They say there was a high staff turnover, staff feared management, new teachers were given too much responsibility without proper support and students with behavioural issues were not dealt with effectively.

The Education Review Office received a letter of complaint from a former teacher stating that wthin one year more than 30 staff left – most of them in 2005.

From the start of 2006 until late last year more than 10 other staff members had left but that was never looked into in any great depth, the former staff member said.

But Mr McAleese says schools can have difficulties with staff from time to time.

He says the staff who left either found it hard to cope with their responsibilities, went overseas or were on short-term contracts.

"The analysis is perfectly reasonable," he says.

Education Review Office public affairs national manager Jenny Clark says the concerns raised in the letter were taken into account when the 2008 report was done.

She says the report found some processes for monitoring teachers and implementing appraisals were poorly implemented.

It said most appraisal documentation did not contain enough detail about development objectives or the support planned to improve teacher practices.

There was variation in the quality of teachers’ self-appraisals and senior managers and teachers did not receive a final report at the end of the cycle.

The office recommended senior managers seek outside help to improve teacher appraisal, and found that some documentation in 2005 and 2006 connected to the principal’s appraisal indicated a "lack of rigour’’.

The board was advised to seek assistance to help it understand its responsibilities.

- © Fairfax NZ News