❓ Mr. Woodhams questions the Minister for Education regarding Geraldton Senior College missing out on funding to combat teacher shortages, despite being short of teachers. The Minister acknowledges shortages but states the school doesn't meet the criteria for additional support, though the situation is being examined.
AnsweredQoN 207Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
GERALDTON SENIOR COLLEGE - TEACHER SHORTAGE
Can the minister please explain to the house why Geraldton Senior College missed out on extra funding to help combat teacher shortages when the school is still short of an English teacher for years 10 and 11 and a social studies teacher for year 10? Mr M. McGOWAN
Can the minister please explain to the house why Geraldton Senior College missed out on extra funding to help combat teacher shortages when the school is still short of an English teacher for years 10 and 11 and a social studies teacher for year 10? Mr M. McGOWAN
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Greenough for the question. It is not money that has combated teacher shortages. He has misunderstood the issue. Some schools around the state are down some teachers. We are now 45 teachers short around the state. However, we have employed 1 300 additional teachers since we have been in office and 2 000 additional teachers’ aides. We have them doing things such as behaviour management, discipline, literacy and numeracy. We have smaller class sizes. Whilst we have 1 300 additional teachers, we have a current shortage of 45 teachers around the state. That means that in some remote or rural locations some schools are down a couple of teachers. I think the maximum figure that some schools are down by is about five teachers around the state. When we average it out, 45 teachers around the state means that some schools are down. We have recognised that some of the teachers in some of those schools have had an additional load over the first part of this year. We have worked it out and applied a formula, in agreement with the State School Teachers’ Union of Western Australia. The teachers in those schools will receive some additional support and remuneration to deal with their particular issues. There are always some schools that are in, because of their particular circumstances, and some schools that are out. I am sure that every single teacher around the state would like additional pay. Every single person around the state, bar those of us in this chamber, would like additional pay, but criteria have to be met. Some small schools fall within them and some schools do not. The advice I have is that the circumstances at the school the member for Greenough referred to do not fall within the criteria. However, the member can rest assured that it is being examined. We are all aware that the opposition is profligate with public funds, but just because the member says that they should be paid does not mean that it is true. What we have to do is look at the circumstances of each school, and we are doing that.
Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for Greenough for the question. It is not money that has combated teacher shortages. He has misunderstood the issue. Some schools around the state are down some teachers. We are now 45 teachers short around the state. However, we have employed 1 300 additional teachers since we have been in office and 2 000 additional teachers’ aides. We have them doing things such as behaviour management, discipline, literacy and numeracy. We have smaller class sizes. Whilst we have 1 300 additional teachers, we have a current shortage of 45 teachers around the state. That means that in some remote or rural locations some schools are down a couple of teachers. I think the maximum figure that some schools are down by is about five teachers around the state. When we average it out, 45 teachers around the state means that some schools are down. We have recognised that some of the teachers in some of those schools have had an additional load over the first part of this year. We have worked it out and applied a formula, in agreement with the State School Teachers’ Union of Western Australia. The teachers in those schools will receive some additional support and remuneration to deal with their particular issues. There are always some schools that are in, because of their particular circumstances, and some schools that are out. I am sure that every single teacher around the state would like additional pay. Every single person around the state, bar those of us in this chamber, would like additional pay, but criteria have to be met. Some small schools fall within them and some schools do not. The advice I have is that the circumstances at the school the member for Greenough referred to do not fall within the criteria. However, the member can rest assured that it is being examined. We are all aware that the opposition is profligate with public funds, but just because the member says that they should be paid does not mean that it is true. What we have to do is look at the circumstances of each school, and we are doing that.
I thank the member for Greenough for the question. It is not money that has combated teacher shortages. He has misunderstood the issue. Some schools around the state are down some teachers. We are now 45 teachers short around the state. However, we have employed 1 300 additional teachers since we have been in office and 2 000 additional teachers’ aides. We have them doing things such as behaviour management, discipline, literacy and numeracy. We have smaller class sizes. Whilst we have 1 300 additional teachers, we have a current shortage of 45 teachers around the state. That means that in some remote or rural locations some schools are down a couple of teachers. I think the maximum figure that some schools are down by is about five teachers around the state. When we average it out, 45 teachers around the state means that some schools are down. We have recognised that some of the teachers in some of those schools have had an additional load over the first part of this year. We have worked it out and applied a formula, in agreement with the State School Teachers’ Union of Western Australia. The teachers in those schools will receive some additional support and remuneration to deal with their particular issues. There are always some schools that are in, because of their particular circumstances, and some schools that are out. I am sure that every single teacher around the state would like additional pay. Every single person around the state, bar those of us in this chamber, would like additional pay, but criteria have to be met. Some small schools fall within them and some schools do not. The advice I have is that the circumstances at the school the member for Greenough referred to do not fall within the criteria. However, the member can rest assured that it is being examined. We are all aware that the opposition is profligate with public funds, but just because the member says that they should be paid does not mean that it is true. What we have to do is look at the circumstances of each school, and we are doing that.
We have recognised that some of the teachers in some of those schools have had an additional load over the first part of this year. We have worked it out and applied a formula, in agreement with the State School Teachers’ Union of Western Australia. The teachers in those schools will receive some additional support and remuneration to deal with their particular issues. There are always some schools that are in, because of their particular circumstances, and some schools that are out. I am sure that every single teacher around the state would like additional pay. Every single person around the state, bar those of us in this chamber, would like additional pay, but criteria have to be met. Some small schools fall within them and some schools do not. The advice I have is that the circumstances at the school the member for Greenough referred to do not fall within the criteria. However, the member can rest assured that it is being examined. We are all aware that the opposition is profligate with public funds, but just because the member says that they should be paid does not mean that it is true. What we have to do is look at the circumstances of each school, and we are doing that.
Mr M. McGOWAN replied: I thank the member for Greenough for the question. It is not money that has combated teacher shortages. He has misunderstood the issue. Some schools around the state are down some teachers. We are now 45 teachers short around the state. However, we have employed 1 300 additional teachers since we have been in office and 2 000 additional teachers’ aides. We have them doing things such as behaviour management, discipline, literacy and numeracy. We have smaller class sizes. Whilst we have 1 300 additional teachers, we have a current shortage of 45 teachers around the state. That means that in some remote or rural locations some schools are down a couple of teachers. I think the maximum figure that some schools are down by is about five teachers around the state. When we average it out, 45 teachers around the state means that some schools are down. We have recognised that some of the teachers in some of those schools have had an additional load over the first part of this year. We have worked it out and applied a formula, in agreement with the State School Teachers’ Union of Western Australia. The teachers in those schools will receive some additional support and remuneration to deal with their particular issues. There are always some schools that are in, because of their particular circumstances, and some schools that are out. I am sure that every single teacher around the state would like additional pay. Every single person around the state, bar those of us in this chamber, would like additional pay, but criteria have to be met. Some small schools fall within them and some schools do not. The advice I have is that the circumstances at the school the member for Greenough referred to do not fall within the criteria. However, the member can rest assured that it is being examined. We are all aware that the opposition is profligate with public funds, but just because the member says that they should be paid does not mean that it is true. What we have to do is look at the circumstances of each school, and we are doing that.
I thank the member for Greenough for the question. It is not money that has combated teacher shortages. He has misunderstood the issue. Some schools around the state are down some teachers. We are now 45 teachers short around the state. However, we have employed 1 300 additional teachers since we have been in office and 2 000 additional teachers’ aides. We have them doing things such as behaviour management, discipline, literacy and numeracy. We have smaller class sizes. Whilst we have 1 300 additional teachers, we have a current shortage of 45 teachers around the state. That means that in some remote or rural locations some schools are down a couple of teachers. I think the maximum figure that some schools are down by is about five teachers around the state. When we average it out, 45 teachers around the state means that some schools are down. We have recognised that some of the teachers in some of those schools have had an additional load over the first part of this year. We have worked it out and applied a formula, in agreement with the State School Teachers’ Union of Western Australia. The teachers in those schools will receive some additional support and remuneration to deal with their particular issues. There are always some schools that are in, because of their particular circumstances, and some schools that are out. I am sure that every single teacher around the state would like additional pay. Every single person around the state, bar those of us in this chamber, would like additional pay, but criteria have to be met. Some small schools fall within them and some schools do not. The advice I have is that the circumstances at the school the member for Greenough referred to do not fall within the criteria. However, the member can rest assured that it is being examined. We are all aware that the opposition is profligate with public funds, but just because the member says that they should be paid does not mean that it is true. What we have to do is look at the circumstances of each school, and we are doing that.
We have recognised that some of the teachers in some of those schools have had an additional load over the first part of this year. We have worked it out and applied a formula, in agreement with the State School Teachers’ Union of Western Australia. The teachers in those schools will receive some additional support and remuneration to deal with their particular issues. There are always some schools that are in, because of their particular circumstances, and some schools that are out. I am sure that every single teacher around the state would like additional pay. Every single person around the state, bar those of us in this chamber, would like additional pay, but criteria have to be met. Some small schools fall within them and some schools do not. The advice I have is that the circumstances at the school the member for Greenough referred to do not fall within the criteria. However, the member can rest assured that it is being examined. We are all aware that the opposition is profligate with public funds, but just because the member says that they should be paid does not mean that it is true. What we have to do is look at the circumstances of each school, and we are doing that.
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