Pay Rise In Store For Hunter Teachers

BY OLIVIA DILLON 

Hunter teachers are set to receive a pay rise, after the Teachers Federation finally reached an in-principle Heads of Agreement with the state government after months of wage negotiations. 

As part of the agreement, the government has withdrawn its previous four-year proposal, which included a 2.5% pay increase in years two, three, and four. 

If the agreement is endorsed, it's expected the starting salary for local teachers will increase from $75,791 to $85,000.

The pay packet for a top of the scale teacher will increase from $113,042 to $122,100. 

Both school counsellors and casual teachers will also be paid according to new adjusted salary scales. 

Members of the Teachers Federation say the historic deal will be a major step forward in the push to attract and keep more teachers in the classroom. 

New Policy to Put Teachers in Classrooms

BY OLIVIA DILLON

The state government has introduced a new pathway, which could see aspiring Hunter teachers walking into the classroom after just twelve months.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said under the new policy, the time to complete a masters degree for post-graduate students will be halved from two years to one, after the length of the course was seen as a deterrent for would-be teachers.

Since 2011 almost 100,000 teachers have joined the force, however the policy comes as part of a continued attempt to combat teaching shortages across the Hunter and the country.

The pathway will be available from 2024, and is expected to help build the teaching force with more mid-career professionals. 

The streamlining of the course will only be available to those studying to become a secondary teacher, with a revamped primary teaching course to be available by 2026.

Catholic teachers bring billboards to the Hunter in staff shortage campaign

BY DAKOTA TAIT

Catholic teachers are ramping up their industrial campaign in the Hunter on Monday, to address pay, conditions, and staff shortages in the sector.

The Independent Education Union is bringing its mobile billboard truck to St Francis Xavier's College in Hamilton from 1:45pm to 2:15pm, before heading to the Catholic Schools Office in Newcastle West at 2:30pm.

NSW ACT Secretary Mark Northam says they're calling on diocese employers and the State Government to respond.

"What we're trying to do is to really get the public onside and get our message across to the public in a reasonable way," he said. "But also to signal to our teachers and our support staff and our principals in the Independent Education Union, that the campaign is a serious campaign and it's reached a serious level."

"We have the perfect storm. There's more students coming into schools for the next decade or so, about a 10 percent increase in students, and at the same time, there's plummeting levels of people who are enrolling in education at universities, and sadly, it's got about a 50 percent attrition rate once they're in the course."

Over the coming week, the truck's set to continue north to Port Macquarie, before heading inland to Armidale and Tamworth, and returning to Singleton and Maitland.