STA Advice on Top-ups Duplicitous

STA ADVICE ON TOP-UPS DUPLICITOUS

“Advice sent to Boards of Trustees by the School Trustees Association (STA) concerning the Board’s ability to top-up the salary of teachers with Diplomas rather than Degrees is at best duplicitous,” Martin Cooney, spokesperson for the September 20 group said today.

“Most Boards have their final Board meeting of the year this Thursday and our group is supporting requests by staff to a number of Boards to consider such a top-up.”

“Advice from the STA and the Post Primary Teachers’ Association is very negative in that they say teachers would need to leave their union and be placed on individual agreements with their Board. As well Boards would require permission from the Education Ministry to pay more than the actual rate in the STCA and STA believe this is unlikely to occur. ”

“We are seeking about $3,000 per G1, G2 teacher from 5 Feb 2003 and most of the Boards targeted initially have foreign fee payer income sufficient to afford such payment. Now it appears that the national bodies are ganging up to stop our approach,” said Mr Cooney.

“Teachers with Diplomas note the difference from October when the extra Board money and extra-STCA conditions were to be used for a Government policy like introducing Level II of NCEA. Then there was no mention by STA, PPTA or the MOE of such drastic conditions being applied,” said Mr Cooney.

“PPTA for example spoke favourably of a school putting in $250,000 to give teachers extra non-contact conditions. Sorry Mr Mallard, et al, but what is good for the gander must be good for the goose.”

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