Some staff working in Hunter Region Catholic schools fear they could lose their jobs in a planned restructure.
The Newcastle Herald understands school staff across the Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle were told of potential role changes on Monday, August 31, with teacher librarians in primary schools among the possibly affected positions.
Teacher librarians are often qualified teachers who have also undertaken an approved course of study in teacher librarianship, according to the Department of Education.
The Independent Education Union of Australia NSW/ACT, which represents all staff working in Catholic schools, including support staff and teachers, said it was aware some staff had been told of a restructure that might lead to some redundancies.
"The union has called on the employer for more consultation, more detail and a reasonable timeframe around this possible restructure," NSW/ACT branch secretary Carol Matthews said.
Ms Matthews said the union would support members through the restructure process to ensure the diocese met all of its legal obligations.
The Herald understands some staff were informed their roles were impacted on Monday, with all impacted staff to be notified by Friday.
There are more than 21,000 primary and secondary students attending 58 Maitland-Newcastle Catholic schools, stretching from Lake Macquarie to Port Stephens, the Manning Valley, and the Upper Hunter.
A spokesperson for Catholic Schools Maitland-Newcastle said it was making changes to staffing arrangements across its schools ahead of the 2027 school year.
"While the majority of staff will not be directly impacted, some roles and responsibilities will change as we align staffing structures with the needs and priorities of our schools," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said the changes reflected the organisation aligning resources with areas of strategic focus, supporting curriculum reform.
"We recognise change can create uncertainty and are committed to supporting impacted staff through the process with care and respect," they said.
The Newcastle Herald understands the diocese would seek redeployment for affected staff where possible, and if that was unsuccessful, a redundancy would be considered.
