SIX Hunter schools are on a priority list to move temporary teaching staff into permanent positions starting in Term 3 this year, as the state government gets started on a key election promise to the region.
Chris Minns' Labor government, which won election in March, promised to turn as many as 10,000 temporary teachers and 6000 support staff in the state toward permanent positions, and said this week that the first of a staged rollout would see as many as 1400 permanently employed by the first day of the third term this year.
The priority list of schools, which includes Edgeworth Heights, Cessnock West and Scone public schools, as well as Gorokan High, and Newcastle Junior and Middle schools, targets institutions that have "desperately struggled to find staff", and focuses on the highest-needs students and communities, the Premier's office said in a joint statement with Education Minister Prue Car on Monday, May 1.
The first-stage appointments will include positions for Aboriginal Education Officers and teachers who have been in temporary work at one school for at least three years, and who are still engaged at the same school. The state is expected to meet its promise of 10,000 teachers by the first term next year.
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Once principals confirm the eligibility of their staff, formal offers can be made by the Department of Education, the Premier's statement said, adding that offers were not dependent on there being a current permanent vacancy at the school.
The Premier, Mr Minns, said the rollout would give teachers a sense of job security as well as making the profession more appealing for new educators coming up through the ranks.
"The casualisation of teaching has forced thousands of talented teachers to leave the profession," he said in the statement released late Monday night. "The people teaching our kids deserve to know they'll have a job next term or next year."
The deputy premier and education minister, Ms Car, said the appointments represented the first step in meeting the party's election promises.
"Getting a permanent position in school will provide that teacher with security and peace of mind allowing them to do the job that the love which is teaching your children," she said.
"We want to send a message to teachers that they are valued and appreciated for the important work they do."
