There is concern that charter schools will not be made sufficiently accountable for their use of public money. Image by Van Tay Media on Unsplash.
<h2><span data-contrast="auto">School support staff – including teacher aides, administrators, librarians, and school technicians, among other roles – are set to negotiate their collective agreements later this year. </span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></h2>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Paid union meetings are being held until the end of June, and members say they’d like to see better working conditions, job security and resourcing. </span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">The negotiations will happen after a year of cuts for the education sector, including a real-term reduction in operational funding for schools and kura which pays for support staff. </span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<p><a href="https://www.schoolnews.co.nz/latest-print-issue/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Read the latest print edition of <em>School News</em> HERE</strong></a></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">An operations grant increase of 2.5 percent was given in the 2024 Budget, whereas inflation is still around 4 percent. </span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Ally Kemplen, teacher aide and spokesperson for the union says the government is ignoring the sector’s needs. </span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“Teacher aides, for example, provide essential learning support to learners, but don’t have job security. Many of us are on fixed term contracts because of the insecure funding system that funds our pay. </span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<blockquote>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“Valued professions generally have secure employment because their employers don’t want to lose them. </span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
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<p><span data-contrast="auto">“When teachers, principals and whānau say we’re essential to meeting children’s needs in a classroom and helping the school run smoothly, it makes no sense that we don’t have that security.” </span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Early union meetings have seen discussions of more teacher aides, fair pay, job security and professional learning and development.</span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">Funding desperately needed</span></b> <span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Following the Budget announcements, many in the education sector were frustrated at a </span><a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/515129/education-ministry-cuts-roles-providing-support-for-disabled-kids-among-those-proposed-to-be-axed" target="_blank"><span data-contrast="none">lack of funding</span></a><span data-contrast="auto"> allocated to learning support, including for staff like teacher aides.</span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Some in the education sector are criticising the government’s decision to fund charter schools instead. In a statement from the Aotearoa Educators’ Collective (AEC), spokesperson Dr Sarah Aiono said: </span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“Instead of allocating $153 million to charter schools, these funds could be more effectively invested in providing comprehensive support for our most-at-risk students.” </span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<figure id="attachment_30656" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-30656" style="width: 401px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class=" wp-image-30656" src="https://www.schoolnews.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AdobeStock_60052166-1-300x200.jpeg" alt="school library" width="401" height="267" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-30656" class="wp-caption-text">Support workers like librarians are due to negotiate their collective agreements at the end of the year. © Tyler Olson, Adobe Stock</figcaption></figure>
<p><a href="https://www.schoolnews.co.nz/2024/06/the-government-missed-their-chance-to-address-issues-in-education/" target="_blank"><span data-contrast="none">AEC states</span></a><span data-contrast="auto"> that the money earmarked for charter schools could fund almost 4000 learning assistants for 30 hours a week. </span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">NZEI Te Riu Roa national executive member and teacher Liam Rutherford says “our teachers, principals and whānau have been crying out for dedicated support for ākonga for a long time. More teacher aides and learning support specialists are a proven way to support students to learn and teachers to teach in one hit.</span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<blockquote>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“$153 million&#8230; would pay for a further 700 full time teacher aides making a huge difference in the classroom for ākonga and their teachers.” </span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
</blockquote>
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">Ongoing cuts to support staff</span></b> <span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">In the meantime, large job losses at the Ministry of Education are seeing learning support roles axed. </span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">In the Learning Support division at MoE, supporting children with disabilities, most of the roles would be disestablished, going from 19 positions to two. </span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<figure id="attachment_30495" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-30495" style="width: 392px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class=" wp-image-30495" src="https://www.schoolnews.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/AdobeStock_163289126-300x225.jpeg" alt="" width="392" height="294" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-30495" class="wp-caption-text">The Ministry of Education says funding cuts won&#8217;t affect children receiving support services. Image: AdobeStock by AUFORT Jérome</figcaption></figure>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">MoE leader Zoe Griffiths said that those working directly with children would not be affected and neither would children with learning support needs.</span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“The change proposals have been designed so that services provided directly to children will not be impacted. Children receiving services will continue to receive them.” </span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">MoE’s regional offices would also face cuts, including 33 learning support roles. Eleven positions would be created to replace them. </span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<p><b><span data-contrast="auto">&#8230;yet a new learning support work programme?</span></b> <span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Despite these cuts, a new webpage has gone live on the MoE website titled “</span><a href="https://www.education.govt.nz/our-work/overall-strategies-and-policies/targeting-learning-support-for-better-student-achievement/" target="_blank"><span data-contrast="none">Targeting learning support for better student achievement</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">”. </span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">This appeared to draw on the work of the previous Labour government based on former minister Jan Tinetti’s </span><a href="https://www.education.govt.nz/our-work/changes-in-education/response-highest-needs-review/" target="_blank"><span data-contrast="none">Highest Needs Review</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">.</span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">According to MoE, the new work programme will respond to feedback from the education sector and disability community as the work of the Māori Affairs Select Committee inquiry into learning support for ākonga Māori, relevant ERO reviews and the Concluding Observations of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2022). </span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“The work programme to support the 5 priorities for strengthening learning support is still being developed. More information will be provided in the coming months,” said Sela Finau, the Ministry’s general manager of learner success and Tiriti policy. </span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:279}"> </span></p>

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