Vol. 47 - No. 3

Vol 47 I No.3

Official publication of the Australian Education Union (SA Branch)

May 2015

AEUJOURNAL SA

Members appeal to Minister: fix support services!

INSIDE: u Indigenous

boarding schools: Pyne’s private gift

u Finland:

Where less = more in education

RUNNING HEAD

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FEATURES PRESIDENT’S VIEW

AEU UNION JOURNAL TRAINING

Indigenous boarding schools page 6 $5m for private boarding schools widens the gap

Members appeal to Minister: fix support services!

boarding schools: Pyne’s private gift

Australian Education Union | SA Branch 163 Greenhill Road, Parkside SA 5063 Telephone: 8272 1399 Facsimile: 8373 1254 Email: journal@aeusa.asn.au Editor: Craig Greer AEU Journal is published seven times annually by the South Australian Branch of the Australian Education Union.

Deadline Dates Publication Dates #4 June 5 June 24 #5 July 24 August 12 #6 August 28 September 16 #7 October 16 November 4 Subscriptions: Free for AEU members. Nonmembers may subscribe for $33 per year.

Print Post approved PP 531629/0025

INSIDE: u Indigenous

#2

ISSN 1440-2971

u Finland:

Cover: Craig Greer

Where less = more in education

Printing: Lane Print

Complexity, workload and ISS ...

Finland

pages 12 – 13 AEU members have appealed to Minister Susan Close to fix the support services mess

page 14 – 16 Where less = more in education

Advertise in the AEU Journal. Reach over 13,500 members across South Australia.

8272 1399 journal@aeusa.asn.au

CAMPAIGN

Stand up for construction workers’ safety and workplace rights

T

ony Abbott is trying to get the Senate to vote to re-establish the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) in the coming weeks. Our comrades at the CFMEU urgently need your support to stop it from coming back.

Last time around the ABCC harassed and intimidated construction workers. It stripped away their right to silence – a right even murderers have – and allowed secret interrogations of workers. This one will do the same.

In 2008, South Australian construction worker Ark Tribe was hauled before the ABCC simply for attending a safety meeting. When he refused to obey the ABCC moved to put him on trial. continued over page 3 3

CAMPAIGN

???????? CONT.

AEU WOMEN’S CONFERENCE 2015

The ABCC will attempt to prevent union and workplace reps from acting on health and safety. During the period of John Howard’s ABCC, deaths on construction sites were at the highest level in the past decade.

A WOME N UNITED

The ABCC will target construction, maritime and transport workers – but if it gets up, it’ll just make it easier for Abbott to go after all workers. The ABCC Bill will hit the Senate in any time now.

We need the support of key cross bench Senators to block it. However, they haven’t said which way they are going to vote. n

THE CONFERENCE WILL INCLUDE:

Keynote speaker, guest speakers, professional and wellbeing workshops, conference activities ...and much, much more!

Program updates will be posted regularly on our website.

Register now as places are filling fast!

Together we can stop the ABCC from returning and ensure a fairer and safer Australia.

FRI 19 JUNE 8.45am – 4.00pm SAT 20 JUNE 9.30am – 2.30pm

Please sign the CFMEU’s petition calling on key Senators to vote against the re-introduction of the ABCC.

8: www.standupspeakoutcomehome.

org.au/abcc-will-try-silence-workers

At the AEU Office: 163 Greenhill Road, Parkside Cost $25 (incl. GST): includes morning tea, lunch, brunch, refreshments + conference T-shirt + travel & accommodation (if required) + TRT

Authorised by Jack Major, Branch Secretary, Australian Education Union, SA Branch, 163 Greenhill Road, Parkside SA 5063 © 2015

Australian Education Union | SA Branch For further info: Tish Champion AEU Women’s Officer Ph: 8272 1399 Book online at: www.aeusa.asn.au>events & courses

NEPAL EARTHQUAKE APPEAL HOW YOU CAN DONATE

All donations of $2 or more are tax deductible

DONATE ONLINE

Go to www.apheda.org.au click on the link to the Nepal Earthquake Appeal. Select One off Donations (Option C) and select Nepal Earthquake Appeal in the drop down.

DONATE BY PHONE

DONATE TODAY! With thousands confirmed dead, and over a million children said to be ‘severely affected’ by the massive 7.9 magnitude earthquake which struck on April 25th, Nepal needs our help.

Nepali unions are organising immediate assistance and are calling for global union support.

Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA is working with the General Federation of

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Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT) and Union Network Nepal Liaison Council (UNI NLC) to provide the following support: Medical treatment for injured; temporary tent and housing; and water and food supply.

Global union support is very much needed at this time. Every contribution counts in the effort to rebuild the lives of people in Nepal.

If you wish to donate by phone, please contact Union Aid AbroadAPHEDA on freecall 1800 888 674

DONATE BY POST OR FAX

You can also download the Appeal Flyer from the APHEDA website and post, fax or scan and email the completed form back to APHEDA on:

office@apheda.org.au

PRESIDENT’S VIEW

CORPORATISATION

Listen to the profession

No to ‘for profit’ schools

AEU President David Smith says ignoring the collective wisdom of those who teach places public education at considerable risk There is a creeping – nay, rampaging – commercialisation of public education in our world.

We have written about that in this Journal on a number of occasions.

Huge multinational corporations see education as a means of making huge profits, well into the billions of dollars, from edu-business. When that happens, the needs of the investors and shareholders subsume the learning needs of the students and their communities.

As members of the AEU SA Branch we are not only part of the national AEU structure with its 180,000 members, but also part of Education International, with 30 million members in 170 countries. We are the voice of the profession and when we speak, we make educational sense. It’s a voice which can and does guide educational debate and policy. Ours is a voice which, when ignored, can risk detrimental results for sound public education. And we’re saying No to commercialisation of education, and No to the treatment of education as yet another investment opportunity for the rich and greedy.

The things we stand for – fair and just universal free public education and democratic, collaborative decision making – form the basis of the most successful education systems in the world. The advent of Independent – nowadays in some places, for-profit – public schools and the commercial interests of their “owners” prepares the path for further intrusions into the genuine and honourable public purposes of public education.

One of the biggest players in the corporatised education field is the company, Pearson. They are active in many countries including our own. For example, they are the company to whom you may apply to mark this year’s NAPLAN tests in NSW. That raises a number of questions, including the purpose of those high stakes tests in the first place. I think we always knew their purpose was more political

than educational, yet so many people place such high worth on the results.

However, here in the once proudly independent and imaginative education scene of SA, we have the chance to withstand, to a fair degree, the incursions of these commercial influences. It’s a slim chance, granted, but we should do all we can to maintain the public education system we so prize. The State Government has after all, stated their opposition to Independent Public Schools, notwithstanding the fact that they took the IPS money on offer last year.

We need to be alert to trends which may, intentionally or otherwise, be preparing the path to privatisation. Our members at all classification levels in preschools, schools and TAFE are rich sources of experience and deep educational knowledge. When they raise questions about various ‘initiatives’ (such a positive sounding word!) they should be heeded. We at the AEU listen and act on their concerns. The senior executives of both DECD and TAFE need to as well, especially those who do not have the same professional educational background as the practitioners who raise the questions. Educators know what works and what is needed. Hence the concerns raised about the commercialisation of TAFE, the Integrated Support Services, NAPLAN, Partnerships, the Numeracy and Literacy Results Plus scheme, the several major DECD reviews under way, the fair allocation of Gonski funding, and so on. A fair and just public education system is attentive to the needs of all who need that education. It is the foundation of our democracy and the hope for our society’s future.

To keep it on the right track, to forge ahead and not reduce education to a commodity, we all need to listen to those who really know. Who would they be?

The teachers, lecturers, principals, managers, SSOs, ECWs, AEWs, HPIs and all the other adept education workers. In other words, all of us, the repository of n considerable educational wisdom.

In solidarity, David Smith

Campaign plans developed by the AEU and its global affiliate Education International (EI) to defend public education from commercial interests were endorsed at AEU Federal Executive on April 22/23.

At the core of both campaigns, and specifically outlined in the EI response is the task of exposing, stopping and reversing the expansion of for-profit provision in the education sector where it undermines the right to equitable access to education, entrenches and exacerbates inequalities, and exploits educators’ labour rights and working conditions.

While Australia is yet to see the worst aspects of commercialisation of education, it’s a trend we won’t stop without a broad and well executed political and community campaign. In Africa, the continued expansion of “low-fee forprofit” schools has lead to frightening inequity and segregation; children wear coloured wrist-bands to indicate if they are paid up or not and those that aren’t simply can’t attend school. The for-profit Bridge Academy charges students $6 per month to attend – the equivalent of three days work for a parent earning roughly $2 per day. Multiply that by two or three depending on how many children one has and the fees don’t look so low anymore.

Commenting on the Financial Times “beyongbrics” blog Chris Khaemba, who is in charge of education at Nairobi City County, said the majority of residents in Nairobi’s informal settlements cannot afford Bridge’s fees. “It targets the high end of the slum dwellers, but there’s a significant socio-economic group that they will not get,” he says.

“They are a for-profit company. There are shareholders who expect a return.

You don’t do that for slum-dwellers in Africa.”

The AEU opposes this kind of inequality, particularly when exacerbated by those seeking to profit from the provision of education, something every child has a right to access regardless of their financial position. n 5

INDIGENOUS FOCUS

Picking winners and losers among Indigenous kids Let’s really address the education gap rather than throw money at a select few, writes Jane Caro Those in the know are warning that funding for education in the forthcoming federal budget will be painfully tight, but that hasn’t stopped Minister Christopher Pyne experiencing a sudden rush of blood to the head.

The self-proclaimed Mr Fixit has decided to apply his powers to the appalling achievement gap that bedevils Indigenous students. Well, he has decided to “fix it” for a fortunate few of them, anyway.

Pyne has announced a $5 million windfall to private boarding schools that enrol more than 50 Indigenous students. In these cash strapped times I bet those schools can hardly believe their luck. Particularly as there are many providers of excellent educational programs, some who even schlep them out to remote communities, who are currently biting their fingernails wondering if their longstanding, highly effective offerings will survive this budget.

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Federal politicians on both sides have a particular fondness for the grand gesture when it comes to “fixing” Indigenous education.

istic of private schools that they can choose their students, by deciding to privilege those providers Pyne has very much limited his gesture’s scope.

In 2008, then PM Kevin Rudd suddenly bestowed $20 million on the Indigenous Education Foundation. This gave a few fortunate kids scholarships to attend prestigious private schools – most of which charged very high fees and were already luxuriously resourced. Seven years later, I wonder how that gesture turned out and what effect it had on closing the gap? Particularly as things would seem to be getting rather worse than better at the moment. But perhaps I am being unfair and the results of that investment will take time to reveal themselves. Maybe it gave a few kids more chances than they would otherwise have had. I certainly hope so, anyway.

It is also worth mentioning that both Rudd and Pyne’s generous offerings require the chosen few Indigenous kids to leave their community, family and everything familiar behind. I hesitate to mention that we’ve already been down the road of taking Indigenous kids away from home to help them, and, if memory serves me correctly, it didn’t turn out too well. But, hey ho, perhaps this will be different.

To be fair to Pyne, his $5 million is not as grand a gesture as Rudd’s, and it has at least some strings attached in terms of the number of kids involved.

However, as it is the defining character-

Read more at on this topic at

Spoiling the good news somewhat was the concurrent announcement by the NT Education Minister, Peter Chandler, that his Government would be cutting $12.8 million from public schools while giving an extra $8.6 million to the territory’s private schools. How wonderful it must be to be an Australian private school with so many governments falling over themselves to give you more dosh. continued over page 3

8: www.aeusa.asn.au/news.html

IN SHORT

“… it is hard to see how this largesse to the private sector is going to do much to help close that pesky gap.”

Trouble is, it is hard to see how this largesse to the private sector is going to do much to help close that pesky gap. You see, 85 per cent of Indigenous kids don’t attend private schools – boarding or otherwise – they go to the schools governments love to take money off. You know the ones; the schools that are open to all comers. The schools that have an actual legal obligation to shoulder the responsibility of educating all Australia’s kids, regardless of who their parents are, or where they live.

Those obligations are why they’re called “public”.

How do we know 85 per cent of Indigenous kids go to public schools?

It’s in the Gonski Report. Remember that? That thoroughly researched, rigorous review of education funding that recommended money follow evidencebased disadvantage? It developed a very good, sector blind formula. It was

so good it was greeted with enthusiasm by all sides of the often fractious education debate. That in itself was quite an achievement.

But our Federal Government and increasingly state governments (I’m looking at you, Daniel Andrews) want to bin it. Gonski would give more money to public schools, you see, because the overwhelming majority of disadvantaged kids (including Indigenous kids, see above) attend them, for perfectly obvious reasons. And we can’t have that, not in today’s Australia. That just wouldn’t be fair! Giving more money to needy kids!

Honestly, where’s the logic in that? It’s much too costly anyway. Much better to generate a bunch of good headlines by giving money to a select few and look like you’re doing something useful.

(Although, of course, there was that recent research that revealed private schools spend $3 billion more than public schools to achieve the same result.)

And let’s not even mention the fact that $5.9 million of the cuts to public education in the NT will be coming from preschools. I guess it’s important we sort our kids into winners and losers as early as possible. How else would we know who to throw grand gestures at? n

Where are the millions for public schools?

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he Wiltja Residential Program is South Australia’s only publicly funded boarding program for Anangu students, who come to Adelaide predominantly from the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands.

They won’t see a cent of the $5 million in public money being handed out to private schools.

The AEU Journal asked Principal Ashley Dorr what she thought about Minister Pyne’s announcement.

“We’ve got a number of great programs running here, some of which we’ve had to cut or find other creative ways of funding,” said Ashley. “We don’t receive any funding from the federal government – our staff are funded under the DECD Student-centred Fund-

ing Model but we’re having to apply for grants in some cases to keep programs going,” she said. “I just wish they would think about us and the needs of our students,” she added.

AEU Federal President Correna Haythorpe was scathing in her criticism of what is yet another example of federal largesse to the private system, calling it a “a poor substitute for the hundreds of millions of dollars he (Minster Pyne) will rip out of needs-based Gonski funding.”

The name ‘Wiltja’ comes from the temporary shelters made by the Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara people. Wiltja students attend either Woodville High School or Windsor Gardens High School to complete year 11 and 12. n

Another win on Key Teacher Fallback The AEU has recently assisted another member in having their classification changed to properly reflect their salary entitlement. The member, a Preschool Director, had worked in that capacity at various preschools for 18 years and after returning to teaching was being paid at Step 8. Under Schedule 3 Clause 4.2 Key Teacher Fallback of the EA 2012, the member should be paid at the level of Key Teacher Fallback 2 or AST2.

The Department have backdated the increased salary payments to the beginning of the year to account for the error.

If you think you’re not being paid at the correct classification after returning to a teaching role from leadership, please contact the AEU for assistance. n

Can’t pay your bill?

What happens when your school or preschool isn’t allocated enough money to pay for utilities such as power and water?

The AEU recently contacted leader members and wrote to all governing councils about the shortfall schools and preschools have to meet. The amounts vary but the average shortfall for preschools was almost $3,000, and for schools over $25,000, and as much as $80,000. Children and students are missing out on special programs and additional support.

A governing council chairperson from one school contacted the AEU to say that because they know their water, electricity and phone bill always exceeds the DECD allocation they had allowed for this in their budget. However, the outcome was less SSO support, less money to spend on learning resources, and less money for facility maintenance and upgrades. This is a common story across the state.

The AEU has met with Minister Close seeking her intervention, and we will continue to work with members and governing councils on this crucial funding issue. n 7

DECD REVIEW of public education, it would then follow that the structures of the organisation would be redeveloped to serve that understanding.

Who should be in charge?

Flinders St reviewed AEU Research Officer Mike Williss says educators, not bureaucrats, should be running DECD

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rincipals and teachers subjected to a seemingly endless stream of DECD school reviews may be pleased to know that Flinders Street is itself undergoing a review. The review is being conducted by big-end-of-town consultants KPMG. The AEU and principal associations are among those who have been consulted by KPMG reviewers.

The review is one of the key actions of Change Priority 3 in the department’s Building a High Performance System project. CP3 focusses on a revised corporate structure and model of service delivery.

Where should such a review begin?

It should really begin with an evacuation of Flinders Street. Put everyone out on the footpath and then ask who gets back in and why.

And that can only be done if there is a clearly agreed understanding of the purpose and value of public education.

I don’t think DECD currently has that understanding. It has generally tried to come up with a vision statement or values statement over the years, but it does not appear to have one now.

In the Strategic Plan 2012-2016 8

“Any statement on the purpose of public education must surely define it in terms of social justice and equity.”

DECD commissioned Prof. Alan Reid, as a prominent educator and advocate for public education, to write a foreword on the purposes of public education. That Strategic Plan and that statement of purpose were short-lived: new Chief Executive Tony Harrison had it replaced by the Strategic Plan 2014-2017. The new plan got rid of Reid’s statement and did not replace it.

Any statement on the purpose of public education must surely define it in terms of social justice and equity. There is currently an over-emphasis on developing a “highly performing system”. I don’t have a problem with high performance, but there is a need to ask “high performance for whom, by whom and to what end?” It is not an end in itself, but a means, through an equity agenda, to attain a better and fairer Australia.

Assuming a review of DECD resurrected an understanding of the purpose

The criterion for leadership of the department must surely be a commitment to that purpose, and experience in and understanding of educational leadership. That would see a number of positions at the top immediately declared vacant and advertised.

Leadership would also be assigned to directorates of Social Justice and Equity, and to Community Capacity. The first would provide oversight of resource allocations, staffing, capital works, and the needs of minority groups; the second would build the department’s ties with the community, provide support to governing councils to ensure informed parental participation in schools, improve attendance and retention, deal with complaints and organise community support for public schools and public education. There would be a parallel position created for Aboriginal Excellence to ensure there was an Aboriginal voice at the highest levels of the department. As we all know, the highest Aboriginal employee of DECD, David Rathman, was recently disposed of in the same way as Prof. Reid’s foreword.

Every other directorate (Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting, Professional Development, Site Services etc) would be overseen by the first three.

Who would be left on the footpath?

Firstly, let me assure those departing of their safety – they will have a highranking police officer to look after them.

Secondly, there will be Families SA, which is not to denigrate its role or its employees, but it should never have been incorporated within DECD. We need our Chief Executive to concentrate on schools and not the scandals that are spread across three to four pages of the daily rag on a regular basis.

Thirdly, there will be any bureaucrat who mentions the word “accountability” without first referring to the value he/ she places on the professional autonomy of teachers.

And lastly, there will be anyone who refers to education as a “business” or “corporate service” instead of as a n profession.

CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM

Federal “reform” a complete nonsense The recent AEU Federal Conference has slammed the Abbott government’s plans for reform of the Federation, writes Mike Williss

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ony Abbott and Christopher Pyne are relying on an outof-date and largely irrelevant Australian Constitution to place back on states and territories the responsibility for raising the funds for education, health and housing.

Given that it sets the rules for governing the country, the Constitution is unfamiliar to most Australians. It is actually an awkward and uninspiring compromise between the British who owned the colonies, the separate colonial elites who sought to protect their respective privileges from their neighbours, and the proponents of a central government tasked with the development of an Australia-wide economy.

Section 51 of the Constitution defines the powers of the Commonwealth. Those powers do not include health and education. Even prior to the WW2 handover of income tax powers from the states to the Commonwealth, the latter was a much more efficient gatherer of revenue than the states.

Money surplus to Commonwealth requirements was distributed to the states according to an equity principle (horizontal fiscal equalisation or HFE), the object of which was to ensure that regardless of one’s place of residence, e.g. richer or poorer state, remote rural or leafy green urban, every citizen across the nation had equal access to roughly the same level of government services.

The transfer of income tax powers, and then the introduction o f the GST, enormously increased the Commonwealth’s role in revenue raising and of the funds distributed through HFE. Rather than acknowledge the Commonwealth’s greater revenue raising capacity, the federal government’s pursuit of reform of the federation is an attempt at winding the clock back in order to save the central government

“How will the states raise the funds for schools and hospitals and the homeless?” billions of dollars.

It is this that underlies the discourse around making the states “sovereign” and responsible for raising the funds that they need for education, health and housing and homelessness.

In announcing forthcoming budget cuts for hospitals and schools of $1bn in 2017-18 to $3bn in 2018-19 and $7bn the following year, Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey said growth in funding was not sustainable and it was up to the states to find their own funding. “The states want us to do the unpopular things to raise the moneys so they can spend it,” the Treasurer said. “The states need to accept responsibility for the things they run. If they do that and if we’re all accountable for the things we are actually responsible for, we’ll have a more efficient system.”

How will the states raise the funds for schools and hospitals and the homeless? Pyne was less than helpful when he answered this question in May of last year. “We want to treat the states like adult sovereign governments,” he said. “They run their own schools, they run their own hospitals, they need to find their own revenue measures if they believe they don’t have enough funds to do so”. When asked by journalist Sarah Ferguson where that money was going to come from, Pyne was dismissive: “Well that’s a measure for the state treasurers”.

Tony Abbott was no less equivocal when releasing the terms of reference of his White Paper on Reform of the

Federation on June 27, 2014. Announcing them to a meeting of the Federal Liberal Council, Abbott said it was time to make every level of government “sovereign in its own sphere”. He proposed that Commonwealth funding should be limited to “core national interest as spelled out in the Constitution”.

It has been seriously suggested by some that the answer, as recommended in the 2014 Audit Commission report, is for states to revert to imposing their own income taxes. This would mark a deplorable dragging forward of Australia to a 70-year old past era.

The 2015 AEU Federal Conference noted that: “Allowing the Federal Government, which has the greatest revenue raising capacity, to withdraw from education, and transfer all responsibility to the states and territories which have far less revenue raising power, would have a massive impact on the spending capacity of the states and territories with serious implications for issues of access, equity and quality across Australia.”

It added that: “Conference reaffirms the AEU policy position that all students within Australia have a right to high quality public education regardless of geographic location, gender, socio economic status, social circumstances, cultural background or special needs.

Fundamental to this is the need for states/ territories and the Commonwealth to work collaboratively in the national interest, through a partnership based on negotiated common objectives. It is imperative that the Commonwealth uses its constitutional capacity and moral responsibility to play a leadership role in ensuring high quality, high equity public education for all Australians.” n 9

MEMBER PROFILE

SSO FOCUS

Sam McInerney is a teacher and Sub-branch Secretary at Renmark North Primary School

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1 Kerry Tomaras (left) explains the Additional Hours Register to SSO colleague Ronnie Canavate

How the Additional Hours Register works The AEU Journal recently visited Madison Park Primary School to discuss the new Recruitment & Selection Policy

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ne of the many positive changes in the new Recruitment and Selection Policy for Ancillary Staff was the introduction of the Additional Hours Register (AHR). This was put in place to fill temporary vacancies of 12 months or less and 15 hours per week or less. All schools and preschools will be required to maintain an Additional Hours Register. This register will provide details of existing permanent part-time ancillary employees both from within the school/preschool and those in nearby locations who are seeking additional temporary hours.

Eligible permanent part-time staff in a site must be considered before those in a nearby location. Where more than one permanent part-time employee is eligible, as part of a merit process, referee(s) must be contacted by the panel to make the selection.

If no suitable applicant is identified, eligible temporary part-time employees in the school/preschool must be con-

sidered – the same merit process must be undertaken for this process as well.

SSOs

JOURNAL: How long have you been teaching?

SAM: I believe this is my 41st year as a teacher and I’ve been a member from the time I was at teacher’s college. My brother was president of the union branch there, in fact.

JOURNAL: Why did you take on the role of Sub-branch Secretary?

SAM: I took on the role last year as our Sub-branch Secretary went on leave and this year I was elected to the role. I think it’s an important job and I wanted to be able to support my colleagues wherever I can.

JOURNAL: You’ve just done the New Workplace Reps training, have you found that useful?

SAM: Absolutely. I thought I knew something about the role but it turns out there’s a lot I didn’t so the input I got from the trainers and the other reps here today has been fantastic.

JOURNAL: What have you learned that you can take back to your site and improve upon?

SAM: I think the skills and ideas we learned around recruiting new members to the union has been invaluable; the young teachers are the future of the union and we need to ensure we have good membership density in all workplaces. I’m also more aware of the need to hold regular, scheduled sub-branch meetings rather than what we currently do which is to just meet when required.

JOURNAL: Why do you think it’s important for people to be members of the union?

SAM: Being a union member gives you fantastic back-up when you need it. I’ve had great personal support from the union over the course of my career. It’s important also to be part of the collective and having that strength when it comes to fighting for wages and conditions.

For me, though, it’s been the legal and professional support I’ve received that makes it really good value. n

If the position is for more than 15 hours, “must place” employees must be offered the hours prior to them being offered to anybody else.

You can be included in the register at any local school in your area and you can also change/update the register at any time if your circumstances change.

To make sure you understand these changes, please refer to the Procedures for the Recruitment and Selection of Ancillary Staff in Schools and Preschools on page 12, Diagram 6. This can be accessed on the AEU website:

www.aeusa.asn.au >Your AEU >Sectors>SSOs

A link to the Additional Hours Register form (VL207) is located on the DECD website at: www.decd.sa.gov.au/

docs/documents/1/vl207additionalhoursregis.pdf

continued over page 3

VICE PRESIDENT’S REPORT

“... there needed to be more administration support for leaders to help deal with the extra workload the policy has created.”

The AEU Journal recently spoke to SSO Kerry Tomaras (pictured above left) who has responsibility for a range of administration tasks at Madison Park Primary School. She says there needs to be more awareness about how the Additional Hours Register should be used.

“If someone here was sick and they were going to be off work for say a whole term, there isn’t really anyone on our register that would be able to cover that period. We don’t have a vast range of additional hours forms from SSOs outside the school so I think there needs to be more understanding that SSOs looking for more hours need to get an Additional Hours form into the sites they might be available to work at.

I’d also like to see a field on the form for skill codes to be inserted so we can more easily choose the right person to work those hours we have available,” said Kerry.

While the new Recruitment and Selection policy for ancillary staff provides more fairness, with a merit selection process required where multiple applicants are suited to a role, Madison Park PS Principal Michael Washington said there needed to be more administration support for leaders to help deal with the extra workload the policy has created.

“The process we had before was very informal and not necessarily fair.

I can see the value of the new processes in the big picture – it’s a more professional environment for SSOs and it values the skills sets and the acquisition of new skills in a more formal way; that’s a good thing. Putting together job applications has proven challenging for some but with support from those who are skilled in this area, those people who have put applications in have really benefitted from the process. So it’s been good for our staff but it definitely creates extra workload, and that needs addressing.” n Lisa Sigalla, AEU Organiser | SSO Focus

Member action leads to Universal Access extension AEU Vice President Howard Spreadbury writes...

Just over a week before the handing down of the Coalition’s second budget, Education Minister Christopher Pyne announced a further two year allocation to preschool funding to maintain Universal Access to 15 hours of preschool education for children in the year before school. This amounts to $840 million which will enable states and territories to maintain current preschool provision until the end of 2017.

Last term the AEU embarked on a national campaign to send a clear message to the federal government that any reduction to early years funding would be strongly resisted. Members mobilised parents across the nation to sign thousands of postcards which would be delivered to the Adelaide electorate office of Minister Pyne. A matter of days before the scheduled event the Minister announced the funding package.

Members and parents are to be congratulated for their engagement in the postcard action, however, the absence of a long-term commitment beyond 2017 from the federal government means the campaign will need to continue in the future. It is of particular concern that the Minister in his announcement made reference to the Coalition’s current position, as expressed in the Federation White Paper to review funding of preschool education, placing the total responsibility with states and territories.

Members should have a clearer picture from DECD by the end of this term as to how the Universal Access funding will support the maintenance of 15 hours in South Australian preschools.

Numeracy and Literacy Results Plus The AEU remains in dispute with DECD regarding the implementation of the Numeracy and Literacy Results Plus program across partnerships. A number of site leaders have now been released from their schools and preschools at

current classifications to undertake similar work with other site leaders. In the absence of a role statement, leaders are required to meet four broad outcomes as identified the DECD’s Chief Education Officer. The AEU believes that this work requires the agreement of an appropriate classification level and remuneration which is consistent across the system.

There are also work value implications for these leaders, those backfilling in sites, and classroom teachers in terms of the expectations of their work in relation to tracking of numeracy and literacy standards in preschools and schools.

Members have also raised concerns regarding the level of consultation which has taken place at school PAC and preschool staff levels. Any changes to leadership structures, including backfill arrangements, must be taken to PAC members who must be allowed time to consult, as per the requirements of the enterprise agreement.

The AEU is also concerned about decision-making processes at partnership level as to the implementation of this project. We’ve expressed concern to DECD that the government has allocated $15.6 million to a project which has very limited means of evaluation and accountability. Members need to be vigilant in terms of any flow-on effects on workload in sites as a result of this project.

The Union has stated a preferred option which is to provide the resource to sites to ensure it is best allocated to the students who need most support, however, this has been rejected. Preschools and schools have established programs to develop student skills and competence in numeracy and literacy and this resource would go a long way to ensuring those programs can deliver outcomes for students in the long-term.

As the project continues for the remainder of this year, members in subbranches will need to be vigilant in monitoring any flow-on effects on workload on leaders, teachers and support staff as a consequence. n 11

COVER STORY

AEU members met with Minister Susan Close on Monday 11 May to discuss the cuts to Integrated Support Services.

The delegation, photographed here with Minister for Education Susan Close (2nd from right), (included from left) Dash Taylor-Johnson, Suzi Vladimirov, Penny Karatzovalis and AEU President David Smith.

Complexity, Workload and ISS … what a mess!

AEU Vice President Jan Murphy writes...

600 AEU members have created a highly visual message about the growing complexity in the classes and groups they work with every day. Your 600 class pictures represent 13,000 children and students in our schools and preschools.

An analysis of the data gained from the “who’s in your class” activity tells us that 11% of children and students were recorded as being assessed and receiving individual funding from DECD. A further 33% of children and students require significant curriculum differentiation and support but do not receive any additional funding. Unsurprisingly, this increases to 70% in Category 1 schools. That’s a huge number of children and students who are not receiving the funding they need. This translates to massive workload for those striving to 12

“…33% of children and students require significant curriculum differentiation and support but do not receive any additional funding.” provide the best possible education and support they can.

The feedback members provided at March Branch Council made it very clear that the changes to Integrated Support Services (ISS) for 2015 have made matters even tougher for them and their most needy students. AEU members are frustrated, angry and many are feeling guilty about students whose needs are not being met due to a lack of resourc-

ing. There are now fewer ISS staff with education qualifications but the number of students with complex needs continues to grow. That can only mean less help for each needy student and those members who work with them.

At the start of the year, the great frustration and serious gaps in support provision were partly due to the number of ISS positions that remained unfilled.

This was compounded by changes to some ISS roles, a redistribution of positions and ISS staff being allocated to different areas. Even when all positions are filled, there will still be decreases in hearing and behaviour support and less disability support positions than needed given that 20 additional autism coordinators were promised from 2015 under the Gonski funding arrangements.

In Week 1 of this term the AEU contacted all workplaces outlining those aspects of our EB15 negotiating positions which are aimed at addressing the work-load associated with working with students with disability and special needs. Smaller classes, more individual support, better PD, additional leadership time and time for developing individual plans would continued over page 3

INTEGRATED SUPPORT SERVICES all create workload relief and more support for students, especially those who need it most.

Four Branch Council delegates represented AEU members when they met with Minister Close on May 11 to explain the impacts of the changes to ISS. Stories from schools made very clear to the Minister that the level of crucial services has decreased and that this has been highly detrimental to students and their families and to staff. We are asking that Minister Close intervene and increase the number of much needed support services staff. n

Members have had enough School leaders around the state are seriously concerned about the impact the ISS changes are having on students and staff. Here’s what some had to say when contacted by the AEU Journal.

LESLEY OKHOLM Deputy Principal Reidy Park PS We are down at least one if not two psychs and when we do get one she won’t be qualified, so she has to work under supervision. We’ve been left with a system where we can put in a prereferral for psych services which goes to the psychs we do have to decide if they are willing to take it any further. Invariably they send it back to us to request more information and there’s still no guarantee they’re going to accept the referral. I started sending one at the beginning of first term and they’ve only just accepted it. Apparently this is “streamlining”. We also feel like we’re

not taken seriously, being a Category 6 school. We don’t put in many referrals so when we do we really mean it; we need support for that student as much as anyone else. n

JULIE AHRENS Principal Glossop HS Things have settled down for us here.

In the beginning it was really messy, particularly with the lateness of the jobs being advertised. Since that’s happened, however, we’re getting great support from the person who’s been appointed to write the OnePlans and so on; she’s doing some really good work. We’re seeing a lot of her which is great for our school. It’s still quite early days with relationships being established and clarity around the roles. There’s still a little bit of confusion around the role of behaviour coach but we’re getting our heads around that. There’s no doubt timelines and processes have created challenges and it’s affected transition planning, but I’d have to say I think we’re getting there and the people working in those teams are working very hard to provide us with a good service. n

LYNETTE CORLETTO Principal Melaleuca Park PS Because the special educators weren’t appointed and there had been a disorganised transition to the new system, the Support Services Manager, as far as I understand ,was without a special educator or a disability coordinator; she was really under the pump trying to do what she could for us. We had a new child arrive in Reception with Downs Syndrome and it’s taken a term to get support sorted. On top of this, the student also had serious toileting issues, which created extra challenges.

And here we are into Term 2 and we still don’t have the right number of special educators on deck within our partnership.

We were told this new structure was going to put more resources into schools, and all I’ve seen is less. To have a child with Downs Syndrome and toileting issues unsupported for ten weeks is not okay. To have highly violent kids in classes with no strategies in place for ten to twelve weeks, is not okay.

And I’m the one who has to tell the

teachers we have to do the best with what we’ve got because my budget is such that I can’t afford to employ someone. All of this is causing major stress for staff and has led to some needing to take leave. It’s a serious issue that needs addressing. n

MICHAEL WASHINGTON Principal Madison Park PS This change in the way support services are delivered, if it had to happen, should have been organised a year earlier than it was. The transition was a mess, but we’ve moved on from that now. There are good people working in support services roles but it’s like the Partnerships model all over again; we’re doing more with less – their case descriptions are broader, and there are fewer of them. I’ve got stories I can tell you about children with great need and it’s the school that’s picking up the complexity and running with it. I have sympathetic conversations with channel managers and the like on the phone but what we really need is people, money and resources. The delivery of tangible support has been really thin on the ground, and we’ve had some really difficult situations to deal with. n

JO ARTZ Principal Mundulla PS The ISS staff I’ve worked with have been absolutely terrific, however, it’s obvious the expectations are huge on those people and completely unrealistic.

You have less people taking on greater responsibility and greater workloads. I think some change was needed but we haven’t got it quite right. What we need here is some support in setting up programs for kids who didn’t qualify for funding, things like writing Maths and English curriculum that caters for their varying needs. Things aren’t any better under this new reform; in the past we’ve had to wait an awfully long time to have students assessed and there’s no improvement. With fewer staff it becomes harder to cope with the workload and it’s probably a double-edged sword – we have more and more children coming into the system who are experiencing learning difficulties and the bar, with respect to who qualifies for support and who doesn’t, has been raised higher. n 13 13

RUNNING HEAD INTERNATIONAL

In Finland, less = more US school teacher Kelly Day outlines 11 reasons why …

W

hen I left my 7th grade math classroom for my Fulbright Research Assignment in Finland I thought I would come back from this experience with more inspiring, engaging, innovative lessons.

I expected to have great new ideas on how to teach my mathematics curriculum and I would revamp my lessons so that I could include more curriculum, more math and get students to think more, talk more and do more math.

This drive to do more and More and MORE is a state of existence for most teachers in the United States; it is engrained in us from day one. There is a constant pressure to push our students to the next level to have them do bigger and better things. The lessons have to be more exciting, more engaging and cover more content. This phenomena is driven by data, or parents, or administrators or simply by our work-centric 14

society where we gauge our success by how busy we are and how burnt out we feel at the end of the day. We measure our worth with completed lists and we criminalise down time. We teach this “work till you drop” mentality to our students who either simply give up somewhere along the way or become as burnt out as we find ourselves.

When I arrived in Finland I didn’t find big flashy innovative thought provoking math lessons. I didn’t find students who were better at mathematics or knew more math content. In fact the school math classrooms have been rather typical of what I have experienced in Indiana. And most of the struggles, like students not remembering their basic math facts, were the same. The instruction and classroom structure of a math classroom in Finland follows the basic formula that has been performed by math teachers for centuries: the teachers go over homework, they present a lesson (some of

“We teach this ‘work till you drop’ mentality to our students who either simply give up somewhere along the way or become as burnt out as we find ourselves.” the kids listen and some don’t) and then they assign homework. While some lessons have been wonderful and I have gotten to observe some fantastic teachers, I would say that it is rare to see a math lesson that is measurably better than those found in my district and I have seen several that were actually far worse.

So, what is the difference? If the instruction in secondary mathematics is the same or sometimes worse than those found in the US, why are Finnish students succeeding while ours are failing? The difference is not the instruction. Good teaching is good teaching and it can be found in both Finland and in the US. The difference is less tangible and more fundamental. Finland truly believes “Less is More.” This national mantra is deeply engrained into the Finnish mindcontinued over page 3

set and is the guiding principal to Finland’s educational philosophy.

Less IS more. They believe it. They live by it. Their houses are not larger than they need in which to comfortably live. They do not over-consume. They live simply and humbly. They don’t feel the need to have 300 types of cereal to choose from when ten will do. The women wear less make-up. The men don’t have giant trucks, or any vehicles at all, really. Instead of buying hundreds of cheap articles of clothing the Finns buy a few expensive, high quality items that will last for decades rather than months. They truly believe and live by the mentality of less is more.

Conversely in the US we truly believe “more is more” and we constantly desire and pursue more in all areas of our lives.

We are obsessed with all things new, shiny and exciting and are constantly wanting to upgrade our lives – out with the old in with the new! This mentality of “more is more” creeps into all areas of our lives and it confuses and stifles our education system. We can’t even stick to one philosophy of education long enough to see if it actually works.

We are constantly trying new methods, ideas and initiatives. We keep adding more and more to our plates without removing any of the past ideas. Currently we believe “more” is the answer to all of our education problems – everything can be solved with more classes, longer days, more homework, more assignments, more pressure, more content, more meetings, more after school tutoring, and of course more testing! All this is doing is creating more burnt out teachers, more stressed out students and more frustration.

Finland on the other hand believes less is more. This is exemplified in several ways for both teachers and students.

Less = More

1.

Less Formal Schooling = More Options

Students in Finland start formal schooling at the age of seven. Yes, seven! Finland allows their children to be children, to learn through playing and exploring rather than sitting still locked up in a classroom. But don’t they get behind? No! The kids start school when they are actually developmentally ready to learn and focus. This first year is fol-

“Less is More. This national mantra is deeply engrained into the Finnish mindset and is the guiding principal to Finland’s educational philosophy.” lowed by only nine years of compulsory school. Everything after ninth grade is optional and at the age of 16 the students can choose from the following three tracks: • Upper Secondary School: This three year program prepares students for the matriculation test that determines their acceptance into University.

Students usually pick which upper secondary school they would like to attend based on the school’s specialties and apply to get into that institution. I think of this as a mixture of high school and college. In recent years a little less than 40% choose this option.

• Vocational Education: 60% choose this track. This is a three year program that trains students for various careers as well as gives them the option to take the matriculation test to then apply for university should they so choose.

• Enter the workforce; Less than 5% choose this path.

2.

Less Time in School = More Rest

Students typically start school between 9:00 and 9:45. Helsinki is thinking of creating a law stating that schools cannot begin before 9:00 am because research has consistently proved that adolescents need quality sleep in the morning. The school day usually ends by 2:00 or 2:45pm. Some days they start earlier and some days they start later. Finnish students’ schedules are always different and changing. However they typically have three to four 75 minute classes a day with several breaks in between. This overall system allows both students and teachers to be well rested and ready to teach/learn.

3.

Fewer Instruction Hours = More Planning Time

Teachers have shorter days as well.

According to the OECD (Organisation for

Economic Cooperation and Development) an average Finnish teacher teaches 600 hours annually or about four or less lessons daily. An average U.S. teacher almost doubles that teaching time with an average of over 1,080 hours of in-class instruction annually.

This equals an average of six or more lessons daily. Also, teachers and students in Finland are not expected to be at school when they do not have a class. For example, if they don’t have any afternoon classes on Thursdays, they (both teachers and students) can simply leave. Or if their first class on a Wednesday starts at 11:00, they don’t have to be at school until that time.

This system allows the Finnish teacher more time to plan and think about each lesson. It allows them to create great, thought-provoking lessons.

4.

Fewer Teachers = More Consistency and Care

Primary students in Finland have the same teacher for the first six years of their education. The same teacher cares for, nurtures and tends to the education of the same group of students for six years in a row. And you had better believe that during those six years with the same 15-20 students, those teachers have figured out the individual instructional needs and learning styles of each and every student. This system is not only helpful to a child because it gives them the consistency, care and individualised attention they need, it also helps the teachers understand the curriculum in a holistic and linear way.

The teacher knows what they need to teach to get them to the next step, while also giving the teachers freedom to work at the pace of their students. according to the students’ needs!

5.

Fewer Accepted Applicants = More Confidence in Teachers So, children have the same teacher for three to six years. What if your kid gets a “bad teacher”? Finland works very hard to make sure there are no “bad teachers.” Primary education is the most competitive degree to get in Finland. The elementary education departments in Finland only accept 10% of all applicants and turns down thousands of students annually. A person not only has to be the best and the continued over page 3 15

RUNNING HEAD CONT. INTERNATIONAL brightest to become a primary teacher, they also have to have passed a series of interviews and personality screenings to get in.

6.

Fewer Classes = More Breaks

7.

Less Testing = More Learning

As I stated before, students only have three to four (or rarely, five) classes a day. They also have several breaks during the day and these usually happen outside come rain or shine. These 15 to 20 minute breaks give them time to digest what they are learning, use their muscles, stretch their legs, get some fresh air and let out the “wiggles.”

There are several neurological advantages for these breaks. Study after study supports the need for children to be physically active in order to learn.

Imagine all of the exciting things you could do with your students if there wasn’t a giant state test looming over your head every year. Imagine the freedom you could have if your pay wasn’t connected to your student’s test scores.

Imagine how much more fun and engaging your lessons would be!

Although it still exists, there is overall less pressure on the teacher in Finland to get through the curriculum. The teacher is simply trusted to do a good job and therefore they have more control over their classroom and its content.

The teacher is able to take more risks and try new things and create exciting, engaging curriculum that allows students to become skilled individuals ready for the real world. They have time to teach skills that allow students to develop into individuals who know how to start a project and work systematically to accomplish a goal.

8.

Fewer Topics = More Depth

I have observed several fifth through ninth grade math classes in Finland. I have looked at the curriculum covered over these five years of education and I realised that I attempt to teach the content of five years of Finnish math education in one year. Each math topic presented in every grade level I have observed here is included in my seventh grade curriculum.

Again, the American mentality of “more is more” simply does not work.

16

1 Free school lunches, another hallmark of the exceptionally healthy Finnish school system.

9.

Less Homework = More Participation

According to the OECD, Finnish students have the least amount of homework in the world. They average under half an hour of homework a night.

Finnish students typically do not have outside tutors or lessons either. This is especially shocking when you realise Finnish students are outscoring the high performing Asian nations whose students receive hours of additional/ outside instruction. From what I can observe, students in Finland get the work done in class, and teachers feel that what the students are able to do in school is enough. Again, there is no pressure to have them do more than what is necessary for them to learn a skill. Often the assignments are openended and not really graded. Yet, the students work on it in class diligently.

It is very interesting to see what happens to the students when they are given something to do. The students who were not listening to the lesson at all put away their phones and start working on the task set before them.

Even if it is just a suggested assignment, they give it their full attention up to the end of class. It is almost like there is an unspoken agreement: “I won’t give you homework if you work on this while you are in my classroom.”

This system has really made me think about the amount of homework I assign on a daily basis.

10.

Fewer Students = More Individual Attention This is obvious. If you have fewer students you will be able to give them the care and attention they need to learn. A Finnish teacher will have about 3 to 4 classes of 20 students a day – so they will see between 60 to 80 students a day. I see 180 students every single day. I have 30 to 35 students in a class, six classes in a row, five days a week.

11.

Less Structure = More Trust

Trust is key to this whole system not structure. Instead of being suspicious of one another and creating tons of structure, rules, hoops and tests to see if the system is working, they simply trust the system. Society trusts the schools to hire good teachers. The schools trust the teachers to be highly trained individuals and therefore give them freedom to create the type of classroom environment that is best for their individual students. The parents trust the teachers to make decisions that will help their children learn and thrive. The teachers trust the students to do the work and learn for the sake of learning. The students trust the teachers to give them the tools they need to be successful.

Society trusts the system and gives education the respect it deserves. It works and it isn’t complicated. Finland n has it figured out. Less IS More.

RUNNING TRADE AGREEMENTS HEAD

Education unions call for protection in trade agreements Secret trade agreements are posing a serious risk to public education

T

he National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) and the Australian Education Union (AEU) are challenging the Australian Government to come clean on its position in the secret TISA negotiations, now at a crucial stage.

The NTEU is accusing the Abbott Government of using the international Trade in Services Agreement negotiations to covertly open up government subsidies to international profit making higher education providers.

“Twice the Australian Senate has rejected legislation to deregulate university tuition fees, cut funding to public universities and extend CSPs (Commonwealth Supported Places) to private higher education providers. The government must give the Australian Parliament and public the assurance that it does not intend to let this slip through in the wording on public subsidies in the TISA”, said NTEU National President, Jeannie Rea. “The NTEU supports a clearer definition of public services which retains the right of governments to provide and fund public services without being obliged to provide subsidies to private providers,” explained Rea. Both the AEU and NTEU are gravely concerned about reports that the Australian Government, along with the governments of Colombia, New Zealand and Norway, is proposing the inclusion of education within the scope of the international Trade in Services Agreement. The two unions oppose trade agreements which liberalise and further commercialise and privatise education.

The purpose of the TISA negotiations, which are being conducted in secret by members of the World Trade Organisation, is to further liberalise trade in services across the world. The final details of any agreement struck will not be disclosed until 5 years after it is signed.

“Australians should be concerned

“Australians should be concerned about the threat posed to public education in these secret negotiations and alarmed by the lack of transparency.” about the threat posed to public education in these secret negotiations and alarmed by the lack of transparency,” said AEU Federal President, Correna Haythorpe.

“Education is a right, not a commodity, and accessible public education must continue to be provided by governments.

Australia must not put its world-class public education system at risk simply for the convenience of global corporations.”

The liberalisation of education and facilitation of the private education market, as a consequence of including education in the TISA, would have negative consequences for public education.

“We have seen the huge damage done in the VET sector by uncontrolled privatisation. We do not want this secret agreement to extend this damage,” added Haythorpe.

Both unions argue that restricting the capacity of governments to regulate the provision of education in their national interests poses a direct threat to quality

public education for all, potentially impacting on student learning conditions and the working conditions of teachers, academics and other education workers.

It is also a direct challenge to democratic processes and the public governance of education, they say.

“Across the world we are seeing strong pressure to commercialise and corporatise education. In Australia we have seen the huge damage done by the privatisation of vocational training, but we are also heartened by the widespread public opposition to the federal government’s current agenda of higher education deregulation and privatisation,” stated Jeannie Rea. “Putting our education systems up for negotiation in secret is not acceptable.

We need stronger protections and investment in public education, not a watering down of regulation and accountability,” emphasised Correna Haythorpe.

“Public education must remain at the heart of the Australian education system because it is the only way to ensure that quality education is available to all,” concluded Haythorpe.

The AEU and NTEU are calling on the Australian Government to join with countries such as Mexico, Switzerland, Korea, Taiwan and Japan, which have all opposed the inclusion of education in the TISA. n 17

WOMEN’S FOCUS

??????????????

Back Row: SAM KONDRACIUK, TISH CHAMPION, SONJA HAPKE, LYNN HALL Middle Row: SARAH BENNETT, KATE COLEMAN (trainer), PETA HARNOIS, YVETTE PINTO, ANGELA VAUGHAN Front Row: JANICE MILLARD, KENDALL PROUD Absent: VANESSA HOOK

Wild about WILD! The AEU’s Women in Leadership Development Program continues to produce, writes AEU Women’s Officer Tish Champion

T

he AEU made a submission in 2010 for funding to the ACTU to develop and provide a four-day leadership course for women members.

Our submission was approved and in 2011, the first Women In Leadership Development (WILD) course was launched with 20 participants. The original facilitator of the program was longtime AEU member, Virginia Gill.

The program was such a success that the funding was continued again in 2012 and included Western Australia. The program was facilitated in both SA and WA by current Branch Executive member, Jennie-Marie Gorman. At the end of 2012, almost 40 AEU women members had completed the WILD program and it was clear it was a successful way to engage with, develop and foster the leadership skills and opportunities of women members. Those women who had taken part in 2011 were already appearing in more AEU forums and structures including consultative com18

mittees, Branch Council and Branch Executive.

Since 2012, AEU Training and Development Coordinator Lynn Hall and I have continued to modify, improve, promote and deliver the WILD program for a further 30 women members. With a strong focus on leadership skills it’s little wonder so many of the women who have passed through the WILD program are now more active in the AEU. Many of them have gone on to become sub-branch secretaries or women’s contact officers in their sites.

Seven past WILD women were elected to Branch Executive for 2014 and 2015, one of those seven is now the AEU Treasurer and one is an AEU nominee on the Teachers Registration Board.

Another former WILD woman elected to Executive now has an Organiser position at the AEU. From little things (ideas) big things grow. We always knew there was a hid-

den treasure trove of skill and leadership potential within our women members and it has been extremely rewarding being a part of such a successful program since 2011.

Term 2, 2015 saw the start of the fifth year of WILD. We are very excited to be working with a new group of inspirational, intelligent and dedicated women who we know are going to seize the WILD opportunity and let it take them on a leadership journey. n

WILD women at the AEU The AEU Journal interviewed four participants in this year’s WILD program to find out why they got involved and what they’ve gained so far from the training.

SONJA HAPKE Teacher, Gilles Plains PS “I decided to do the WILD program because I was hoping to gain more confidence; I’d like to have more leadership roles at my site. I’m also very passionate about the union as I think it has a very important role in the school environment. continued over page 3

RUNNING HEAD I’d also like to step up within the union – I think women in particular have a very important role to play. It’s a really exciting opportunity to network with other women who have similar values and also to sharpen my own skills.” n

YVETTE PINTO Teacher, Bellevue Heights PS “Through WILD I think I’ve gained confidence in how to express my point of view in an effective way. The public speaking aspect of the course has been great for me as it’s something I’ve wanted to work on. The networking opportunity and gaining understanding of the different leadership styles has been a real positive.

Meeting Kate Coleman from the ACTU was great – she was really inspirational and gave us insight into how to overcome difficult challenges.” n

JANICE MILLARD Teacher, Brighton PS

happen in the course I may not have done it – I’m probably not used to being out of my comfort zone. However, many of the tasks made me realise that I’ve come a lot further than I realised.

The best parts of the WILD course have been the positive self-talk skills and the public speaking, which is something I’ve always dodged, but I felt really supported in the WILD environment. n

ANGELA VAUGHAN Teacher Librarian, Lockleys PS “I was actually nominated by someone to do the WILD course and I still don’t know who! But when I read about it, I thought it sounded fabulous, so I went with it. Having done the New Workplace Reps course last year I had a feeling it would be good training and it was.

The article in Thursday’s Advertiser (7 May 2015) “Kids Taped to Chair” gives us a timely reminder that employers and parents will not tolerate the inappropriate physical contact or restraint of children.

In brief, a Reception teacher in a joint Anglican/Catholic College, secured three children with masking tape to their chairs as they were being difficult and non-compliant.

After the first two days I’m feeling really positive and empowered and that’s come about due to the way the course was run and also the other participants and the things they had to say.

The teacher’s employment was terminated and she appealed her dismissal under s.394 of the Fair Work Act 2009. Her appeal against the dismissal was unsuccessful.

The course has helped me to recognise that you can contribute at a higher level if you have confidence in yourself and reframe your thinking. It’s been a really good experience.” n

Even though I can hear many of our members say, “Well what a stupid thing to do, I would never do anything like that,” it’s an opportune time to remind all members to read the Protective Practices for staff in their interactions with children and young people document.

2015 Rosemary Richards Scholarship of interest in unionism with a focus on women.

The Scholarship is aimed at providing an opportunity for a woman member to increase her own and/or other women’s skills and experience in the union’s work at a state/territory/national or international level.

Applying for the Scholarship All financial women members of the AEU are encouraged to apply. Please contact Tish Champion to discuss your idea for a project or activity that will enhance local strategies or policies for women members as well as your own union activism and experiences.

For further information please contact AEU Women’s Officer Tish Champion on

8272 1399 or email her on: tchampion@aeusa.asn.au

*Applications are due by Friday 5 June 2015.

n

Pages 16 – 18 of these guidelines clearly set out when appropriate physical contact might be used and when it will clearly not be tolerated, for example in managing student behaviour. It is also a useful document which identifies possible boundary violations that may cause problems for education workers if accused of breaching those professional boundaries.

The Code of Ethics for Public Sector Employees is also a document that DECD employees must read and comply with.

Unfortunately there are members who find themselves being investigated for alleged breaches of the Code of Ethics and Protective Practices. If those breaches are substantiated due to an investigation by DECD, members are then disciplined. The AEU is not seeing a decline in those matters. n For further information on these two documents please contact the AEU Information Unit – see details right 3 Anne Walker, AEU Legal & Information Officer 19

% 8272 1399

Rosemary Richards was a proud feminist, unionist and educator. She was a respected leader who played a crucial role in shaping the AEU as an organisation which reflects feminist principles.

Sadly, Rosemary passed away in 2006 after a long battle with illness.

This scholarship, now in its ninth year, is in recognition of the significant contribution that Rosemary made to the AEU as an organisation and to all its members, women in particular.

Across the AEU, women’s employment rights and women’s union participation has been steadily advanced due to an active, committed and predominantly female membership, but challenges still remain. The SA branch of the AEU has had two pervious winners of this award – Jennie-Marie Gorman, now a member of Branch Executive, and Helen Hewitt who has since retired. Both women described the Rosemary Richards Scholarship as an amazing opportunity to pursue an area

Questions from the Workplace

AEU Information Unit | Weekdays | 10:30am – 5pm |

“A colleague at my school encouraged me to apply for the WILD program after doing it herself and seeing things in me that suggested I’d benefit from it.

She didn’t tell me too much about the detail which is good because if I’d known everything that was going to

AEU INFORMATION UNIT

PAID PARENTAL LEAVE (PPL)

COUNTRY CONDITIONS

Double Dippers be warned!

AEU Country Conditions Standing Committee

According to Google, words used in dictionary definitions of “Double Dipping” include: illicit, illegal, unethical, same employer!

In an effort to save $1 billion, the Federal Budget is expected to announce drastic changes to the PPL introduced

by Labor in 2011. Prior to election in 2013, the Coalition promised a better scheme that included full salary replacement and superannuation contributions for 6 months.

Almost two years later, the Federal Government is about to announce that the PPL, unchanged since 2011, will no longer be available to women who have a full salary replacement scheme with their employer (regardless of how many weeks). Mr Hockey’s message (double dipping) is that women who have received both employer funded payments and the PPL have done so illegally, illicitly and unethically.

Mr Hockey wouldn’t use terms such as “double dipping” if he understood that while administered by your State employer, the PPL payments are not funded by your employer. Not the same employer, not “double dipping”. He also seems to have forgotten that the scheme was always intended to complement any existing entitlements while also providing an option for those women who received nothing.

What we know The scheme will exist in its current form for those who qualify. If you receive an employer provided scheme you will no longer receive the PPL.

What we don’t know Can women choose one or the other depending on which provides more?

What happens to women who at July 1 are already on the PPL and are technically already unethically “double dipping”? Will their payments cease? Will they be made to pay money back? How will the government monitor women in the private sector who receive an employer funded scheme to ensure they don’t “double dip”? Or are they only concerned about government employees who have apparently been “double n dipping” legally since 2011?

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T

he 2015 Country Conditions Standing Committee is keen to hear from members about the issues faced by those who experience the delights and challenges of living and working in the country.

With Enterprise Bargaining now underway, it is vital that members in the country keep informed, aware and active.

Members of the Committee rely on the collective power of all of you to put pressure on the employer to improve working and learning conditions in country sites.

LUKE CARTER Teacher Amata Anangu School luke.carter287@schools.sa.edu.au

CHERIE COOPER Teacher Barmera PS cherie.cooper754@schools.sa.edu.au

The big ticket items for country so far include: • Country Incentive Allowance (CIA).

The fact that this cuts out after five years is a big disincentive for people to stay in a country area.

• Employee Housing. This is incredibly varied across the state. Some houses are great and some leave much to be desired. In some areas, getting maintenance carried out is really difficult.

• Issues around sharing of staff to provide breadth of curriculum or support for things like IT and finance.

DENISE ELLEM Special Educator Gawler Edu. Office denise.ellem231@schools.sa.edu.au

ADRIAN MAYWALD Principal Lucindale AS adrian.maywald73@schools.sa.edu.au

• Access to quality T&D. • Extra time, cost and workload pressures as a result of the move to the Partnership model.

• Decent access to ICT. • Support for children and students with extra needs.

VICKI MINNES Teacher Peterborough HS vicki.minnes325@schools.sa.edu.au

• Issues around travel, relief staff and access to government cars.

The Country Conditions Standing Committee consists of six members.

Their role is not to deal with individual country grievances and issues but rather to be a conduit for the deeply and widely felt issues of country members.

Please feel free to contact any of the members of the Committee by email if you would like any issues raised at their next meeting. They are as follows:

BRENDAN WATTS Teacher [AST] Murray Bridge HS brendan.watts152@schools.sa.edu.au Let’s get some improvements for country members this year. Stay informed, be active and get involved! n Anne Beinke & Meredith Farmer AEU Organisers | Country Focus

AEU TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM 2015

EVENTS & COURSES Term 2 + holidays AEU Leadership Seminar Series Seminar 2: Positive early intervention by having tough conversations with staff Wed 20 May

5:00pm – 7:00pm

The 2nd seminar will focus on how to reduce the negative impact of issues by addressing them in a positive, constructive way when they first appear. This is one element of building a positive, supportive and productive workplace culture. This session will be facilitated by highly respected and eminent former DECD leader, Garry Costello.

Open to: AEU members in leadership roles.

AEU Contact Officer Training Women and Non-teaching staff Mon 22 June

9:15am – 3:30pm

A 1-day course for members on the role of the AEU Women’s Contact Officer and the SSO/Non-teaching Staff Contact Officer.

Participants will better understand their role, conditions of work and how they can best support members in their workplace. Participants will also have a better understanding their role and conditions of work.

Open to: All AEU contact officers (Women and Non-teaching staff) who have not attended this course recently.

Support: Relief, country travel & accomm.

Support: Relief, country travel & accommodation.

AEU Advanced Women’s Contact Officer Course

Reconciliation Seminar

Tues 23 June

Sat 30 May

2:00pm – 4:00pm

See Ad below right 4

AEU/DECD Personnel Advisory Committee [PAC] Training 4 June, 16 June, 1 July, 15 July.

The AEU strongly recommends that all members of the PAC, including principals, AEU representatives, equal opportunity and non-teaching staff representatives who did not complete the update or full training in 2014, register for PAC training.

In 2014 there were significant changes that will affect the PAC. Book Online: www.decd.sa.gov.au/hrstaff/

Environment Action Professional Development Seminar 2 Thurs 11 June

4:30pm – 6:00pm

An afternoon seminar which supports the work of schools to fit awareness of environmental issues into the curriculum. The seminars are organised by members of the AEU Environment Action Group.

Open to: AEU members.

AEU Women’s Conference Fri 19 June Sat 20 June

8:45am – 4:00pm 9:30am – 2:00pm

See Ad on Page 4. The conference will include: keynote speaker, guest speakers, professional and wellbeing workshops, activities... and much, much, more. Check our website (link right) for regular program updates.

Open to: AEU members Support: Relief, country travel & accomm.

9:15am – 3:30pm

A 1-day course for women’s contact officers who have completed the AEU Women’s Contact Officer course and wish to learn more about how to support women in their workplace.

Open to: All AEU Women’s Contact Officers who have completed the base course.

Support: Relief, country travel & accomm.

Safe Schools! Supporting Gender and Sexual Diversity Workshops [Berri] Mon 6 July

9:30am – 2:30pm

A practical workshop to support schools as safe places free from homophobic bullying and harassment. The workshop is run with support from Safe Schools Coalition SA and the AEU (SA Branch) Consultative Committee for the Lesbian, Gay, Transgender & Intersex community (LGBTI).

Open to: AEU Members.

Classroom Management for New Educators [Pt Pirie] Mon 6 July 9:15am – 3:30pm & Tues 29 Sept

9:15am – 3:30pm

Highly recommended by new teachers this 2-day practical course builds on the keynote and workshops run at the AEU New Educators’ Conferences. This course is facilitated by experienced teachers and is recommended as a practical way to develop new teachers’ skills in the classroom. Participants will receive a course workbook and lunch.

Open to: AEU members who are new teachers in their first 5 years of teaching.

Participants must attend both days.

Leaders’ Advanced Conflict Resolution through Mediation DAY 1: Mon 13 July 9:15am – 4:00pm DAY 2: Tues 14 July 9:15am – 4:00pm This 2-day advanced course builds on Prof.

Dale Bagshaw’s Conflict Resolution Through Mediation Course. It covers the theory and practice of mediation in complex conflict situations including where there is a power differential or gender or cultural issues.

Open to: Educators who have completed the 3-day AEU Conflict Resolution Through Mediation Course.

Cost: AEU Members $110: Non-members $330 incl. GST

AEU SSO Conference Fri 17 July

9:15am – 3.30pm

A 1-day conference for non-teaching staff, with a conference dinner the evening prior to the conference.

Open to: AEU members in non-teaching positions.

Support: Relief, country travel and accommodation

‘15

* UPCOMING EVENT

Reconciliation Seminar Saturday 30 May 2.00pm – 4.00pm

A Saturday afternoon seminar which supports the work of preschools, schools and TAFE in developing a Reconciliation Action Plan. Mapped against National Professional Standard 2.4: Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote Reconciliation between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians.

Open to: AEU members.

To register or for further info follow the links (below) 5

For further info on any of the above events and courses,

8: training@aeusa.asn.au

email Phoebe Gunn on

8: www.aeusa.asn.au>events & courses

To register go to

21

COUNCIL DATES FOR 2015

NOTICE BOARD

Branch Council Meetings

Seeking promotion?

Upcoming dates for 2015 are:

Saturday, May 30 Saturday, August 22 Saturday, November 7

TAFE Divisional Council Meetings Upcoming dates for 2015 are:

Friday, May 29 Friday, August 14 Friday, November 6

AEU INFORMATION UNIT

Open Weekdays Do you have a question your union rep can’t answer?

Don’t forget the Information Unit is open Monday – Friday

10.30am to 5.00pm For assistance call:

%

: 8272 1399

Aspiring Principals, DPs, Senior Leaders, Coordinators

Announcing our new

$135

ONLINE PACKAGE

FOR APPLICATION WRITING AND INTERVIEW for all promotion positions in SA government schools FULL SCHOOL SITE LICENCE $399 Tailored to DECD’s NEW MERIT SELECTION processes, this detailed 65 page booklet and PowerPoint shows you how to develop a dynamic résumé and cover letter, as well as many valuable ideas and hints to help you prepare for a powerful interview performance!

Available for immediate download at:

www.teachers–resumes.com.au WE ALSO PROVIDE INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE

Teachers’ Professional Résumés T: 0411 245 415 E: teachers-resumes@bigpond.com Serving Australia’s teachers since 1990.

ABN: 40 833 718 673

1800RESPECT

National counselling helpline, information and support 24/7

• Are you experiencing sexual assault or domestic and family violence?

• Seeking to support someone who is?

• WE CAN HELP. Call:

1800 737 732 or

go to: www.1800respect.org.au and connect to a councillor online

AEU Journal ONLINE If you currently receive a hard copy of the Journal and would prefer to read the Journal online, please let us know by emailing:

journal@aeusa.asn.au

The AEU Journal is online at:

www.aeusa.asn.au/ journals.html

One STAFF, One UNION!

5 1 0 2 EB 2015 EB 5 1 0 2 EB

Learning Program

Are you a member of the union that fights for your wages, conditions and a strong public education?

JOIN THE AEU AND HAVE A SAY IN THE FUTURE OF YOUR PROFESSION!

Call our membership section on 8272 1399 or join online: : www.aeusa.asn.au/join.html

Authorised by Jack Major, Branch Secretary, Australian Education Union | SA Branch, 163 Greenhill Road, Parkside SA 5063 © 2014

8

Authorised by Jack Major, Branch Secretary, Australian Education Union | SA Branch, 163 Greenhill Road, Parkside SA 5063 © 2014

22

Creative Classrooms Teacher Workshop

Presenter and composer: Paul Rissmann

This bespoke workshop is a chance for teachers to work with internationally acclaimed educator to explore practical and innovative ways to foster creativity in their own classroom. Inspiring professional musicians and teachers to develop their own creative skills is an integral part of Paul’s career in the UK and around the world.

Sunday 14 Jun, 1:30 - 4.30pm, Grainger Studio

Visit aso.com.au/learning for more info and application form. Cost $80.

NOTICE BOARD

Member’s Market In order to cater for extra editorial space, the AEU Members

members. T: 0419 868 143 E: foumakis@hotmail.com W: www.victorharborgetaways. com.au

Market now has a reduced space allocation in the Journal.

VICTOR HARBOR HOLIDAY HSE:

Advertisements will be printed at the discretion of the Editor and will not run in more than three issues in succession.

KENSINGTON TOWN HOUSE:

GOOLWA HOLIDAY HOUSE

Quiet, private, comfortable 2 BR with QB’s. 5-min stroll to historic Rising Sun, Robin Hood, short walk to Parade and great parks.

BBQ, fully equipped, all linen supplied. From $130/night.

T: 0407 744820 E: dover.farm@bigpond.com

15-mins from beach, shops and river. Sleeps 9, in-ground pool, decking with BBQ, fully equipped, A/C, etc. $100 night.

T: 0403 841 031 E: leonday@adam.com.au

STREAKY BAY HOLIDAY HSE:

4 BR brand new 2-story house – sleeps 9 plus 2 fold out couches.

5-min. walk to the jetty. Relax for wkend or longer. T: 0407654464 E: arthur1966.dellas@gmail.com

5-min walk to beach, in town, close to shops. Sleeps 13. Fish & boat facilities. New bath & kit; BBQ entertaining area and private spa suite avail. Starting rate $140 p/ night. T: (08) 8626 1539 E: ascaines@hotmail.com

HOUSE FOR SALE:

VICTOR HARBOR GETAWAYS:

3 BR in Pt Noarlunga Sth. Close to great beaches and facilities. $295,000. T: 0435 489 429

2 fully self-contained homes.

Sleeps up to 8. One with private beach/lake! 10% discount to AEU

SECOND VALLEY HOLIDAY HSE:

SAIT Conveyancers

We offer AEU members: Free advice on real estate queries.

Expert advice and professional experience with: • Mortgages, • Private Contract Transfers, • Strata Plan and Plan of Division Lodgments, • Caveats, Discharges of Mortgages, • All facets of conveyancing work.

If you are buying or selling or are involved in any real estate matter, either through a land agent or privately, consult us.

Contact us on:

Anne Walker

(: (08) 8410 6788

KINGSTON NEAR ROBE: 2-storey on 22 kms of stunning beach stretching down to wineries.

Sleeps 8, 2 bathrooms. Or Balcony Suite, 5 RMs. Special from $70/ double, mid-week, off peak, min.

4-nights. T: 0402 922 445 (Judy)

OUTBACK TAGALONG TOURS Guided tours in your 4 wheel drive, with your gear loaded on the ‘Big Red Truck’. Hassle Free Outback Touring. Book now for our Spring Tour – Innaminka Races, Coward Springs, Warren Gorge.

T: David Connell – (02) 8885 4620 or Lyn Rowe – 0403 594 406 W: www.brtoutback.com.au

To give away: Folders hard/soft covered...upper to middle primary ...many topics covered... from retired teacher. Donation to the Smith Family. Interested?

T: 0418 834 174 (Jane)

SEAGRASS VILLAS AT NORMANVILLE: situated on Jetty Rd, two new 1 BR spacious villas for holiday rental. Luxury accomm. a short stroll to cafes, shops, pub and to the Normanville Beach. Spa in court yard garden for the perfect getaway, come and treat yourself. Villa 1 is dog friendly – allowed inside. 5% discount for AEU members.

T: 0409 400 265 (Lynn) E: lynn.wilson22@bigpond.com

Advertise in Members’ Market for FREE! Rent, sell, buy or offer goods and services. Send ads to:

journal@aeusa.asn.au

AN INVITATION TO RETIRED OR RETIRING TEACHERS & SSOs Have you retired or are about to retire? Are you seeking opportunities to maintain or increase your level of fitness and want to learn more about your city and surrounding hills and bushland? Are you seeking companionship with other retired teachers and their partners as well as other walkers from a range of backgrounds (not just teaching!)?

Walks are organised at several levels. Rovers walk from 14–18 kms, Walkers from 8–10 kms, Ramblers from 6–7 kms and Amblers up to 5 kms. The R.T.A. Walking Group is a sub-group of the Retired Teachers Association and is affiliated with The Walking Federation of SA. We walk in conservation parks, national parks and forestry reserves within the Mount Lofty Ranges and Fleurieu Peninsula, suburban beaches and along the six creeks of the Adelaide Plains, the River Torrens Linear Park and other suburban trails. It’s a great way to get to know your city and surroundings! A camp is also organised each year in country areas within South Australia or Victoria.

Simon Willcox

8410 6799 Email: anne@saitconveyancers.com.au SAIT Conveyancers

New, 4 BR, 2 bath, (2 x Qu, 2 x singles, 1 dble bunk), sleeps 8, 3 living areas, 2 balconies, views of hills & Granite Island, A/C, D/W, BBQ, C’pt, 2-storey, quiet location.

T: 0400 303 300 (Ian) E: ir211057@internode.on.net

TEACHING RESOURCES:

Fax: (08)

located at Credit Union SA

Level 3, 400 King William Street, Adelaide, SA 5000

If you are interested in finding out more about our walking group, you are invited to contact: our Secretary, Roger Tagg email: rogertag@tpg.com.au 23