The union representing Catholic school staff is fielding calls from "confused and uncertain" members as Catholic schools across the Hunter work through proposed staffing changes for 2027.
On Monday August 31, staff from across the 58 schools in the Catholic diocese of Maitland-Newcastle were notified of changes to their jobs, with some staff fearing the end of their roles.
A spokesperson for the Catholic schools initially told the Newcastle Herald that some roles and responsibilities would change, but on Friday clarified that they were undertaking a "consultation process on proposed changes to staffing".
The Independent Education Union (IEU) of Australia NSW/ACT believes the proposed restructure would involve teacher librarians going from primary schools and may also affect some English as an additional language and Aboriginal education workers.
Teacher librarians are typically qualified teachers who have also done an approved course of study in teacher librarianship, according to the Department of Education.
IEU NSW/ACT secretary Carol Matthews believed if a school had a library assistant, which was a non-teacher role, that person would continue to be employed.
"Members are confused and uncertain about what the impact will be," Ms Matthews said.
"We are continuing to seek further information from the diocese about the reason for the cuts," she said.
Ms Matthews said the union was not sure how many positions were affected.
"We are getting messages from members that are very concerned about the impacts that any cuts will have on their ability to perform work," she said.
A spokesperson for Catholic Schools Maitland-Newcastle said the proposed restructure was driven by ensuring the long-term financial sustainability of the system and strengthening education outcomes.
"Financial pressures, including growth in wages and other operating costs, form part of that broader sustainability challenge," they said.
"The proposed model includes new roles in every primary school, focused on curriculum, pedagogy, literacy and numeracy," the spokesperson said.
The Catholic Schools Office of Maitland-Newcastle 2025 financial report to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) was due on June 30 this year, but has yet to be uploaded.
However, the 2024 statement shows the organisation recorded a $19.5 million deficit in the 2024 financial year.
The Catholic Schools Maitland-Newcastle spokesperson said the changes would not involve a reduction to classroom teaching or see the removal of libraries from schools.
"The proposal also reflects the changing roles of school libraries. Libraries across our system have evolved into dynamic Learning Hubs," they said.
The Newcastle Herald understands the reimagining of libraries as learning hubs was introduced at Hunter Catholic schools in 2017.
Katarina Farrell, a parent of Holy Cross Primary School in Merewether was disappointed at the diocesan decision that could affect teachers and other staff.
"I think it is a pretty sad state of affairs if this is the direction we are heading in," she said.
"We are all living in a cost-constrained world, but we do pay school fees, it's not a public school and I think the services like teacher librarians are really important."
Jessica Coates from the Australian Library and Information Association said she was concerned about the effect on literacy and learning if primary teacher librarians were axed.
"We would be very disappointed and distressed at even a large loss of teacher librarian roles," she said.
"With artificial intelligence and misinformation increasingly part of daily life, the foundational critical thinking and research skills that teacher librarians bring to schools are needed more than ever."
