Hon Barry House questions the Minister for Education and Training regarding staffing cuts at Bunbury Senior High School and the potential disruption to the school's educational program. The Minister acknowledges the overstaffing but asserts that the school has adjusted and is now compliant with agreed staffing levels.

AnsweredQoN 192Legislative Council
Asked
13 April 2006
Portfolio
Education and Training

QuestionView source ↗

BUNBURY SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL - STAFF LEVELS
I refer to Bunbury Senior High School. (1) Is the minister aware that the staffing allocation for this school has been deemed to be 2.8 over, and that these staff will be removed, despite a departmental error that appointed staff on a 12-month contract rather than on the normal six-week basis until the “overs and unders” system was finalised? (2) Is the minister also aware that this situation will cause a major disruption to the structure of classes in all school years, including collapsing two history classes into one class of 29 students, which is four above the accepted level, and that heads of departments and other coordinators will have their time allocations unjustly reduced? (3) Will the minister maintain the week 1, term 2 staffing allocation at 2.8 over to avoid this massive disruption to the school’s educational program? (4) If not, why not? Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) I am advised that Bunbury Senior High School was overstaffed at the commencement of the 2006 school year.  The school has undertaken the regular processes and procedures in accordance with departmental policy to bring the school’s teaching establishment to the level commensurate with its student enrolment. (2) The school administration has advised that this timetabling restructure has not caused major disruption to the school.  I understand that all classes are compliant with the agreed sizes, as specified in the government school teachers’ and school administrators’ certified agreement 2004.  The time allocation for school administrators and other coordinators also remains within agreed ranges. (3) As the school has already undertaken timetable restructures to ensure compliance with agreed staffing levels, it would not be appropriate to maintain staffing levels above the formula from the commencement of term 2 in 2006. (4) The department requires that all schools across the state be staffed according to agreed staffing levels, so as to ensure the equitable management of available resources.
(1) Is the minister aware that the staffing allocation for this school has been deemed to be 2.8 over, and that these staff will be removed, despite a departmental error that appointed staff on a 12-month contract rather than on the normal six-week basis until the “overs and unders” system was finalised? (2) Is the minister also aware that this situation will cause a major disruption to the structure of classes in all school years, including collapsing two history classes into one class of 29 students, which is four above the accepted level, and that heads of departments and other coordinators will have their time allocations unjustly reduced? (3) Will the minister maintain the week 1, term 2 staffing allocation at 2.8 over to avoid this massive disruption to the school’s educational program? (4) If not, why not? Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) I am advised that Bunbury Senior High School was overstaffed at the commencement of the 2006 school year.  The school has undertaken the regular processes and procedures in accordance with departmental policy to bring the school’s teaching establishment to the level commensurate with its student enrolment. (2) The school administration has advised that this timetabling restructure has not caused major disruption to the school.  I understand that all classes are compliant with the agreed sizes, as specified in the government school teachers’ and school administrators’ certified agreement 2004.  The time allocation for school administrators and other coordinators also remains within agreed ranges. (3) As the school has already undertaken timetable restructures to ensure compliance with agreed staffing levels, it would not be appropriate to maintain staffing levels above the formula from the commencement of term 2 in 2006. (4) The department requires that all schools across the state be staffed according to agreed staffing levels, so as to ensure the equitable management of available resources.
(2) Is the minister also aware that this situation will cause a major disruption to the structure of classes in all school years, including collapsing two history classes into one class of 29 students, which is four above the accepted level, and that heads of departments and other coordinators will have their time allocations unjustly reduced? (3) Will the minister maintain the week 1, term 2 staffing allocation at 2.8 over to avoid this massive disruption to the school’s educational program? (4) If not, why not? Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) I am advised that Bunbury Senior High School was overstaffed at the commencement of the 2006 school year.  The school has undertaken the regular processes and procedures in accordance with departmental policy to bring the school’s teaching establishment to the level commensurate with its student enrolment. (2) The school administration has advised that this timetabling restructure has not caused major disruption to the school.  I understand that all classes are compliant with the agreed sizes, as specified in the government school teachers’ and school administrators’ certified agreement 2004.  The time allocation for school administrators and other coordinators also remains within agreed ranges. (3) As the school has already undertaken timetable restructures to ensure compliance with agreed staffing levels, it would not be appropriate to maintain staffing levels above the formula from the commencement of term 2 in 2006. (4) The department requires that all schools across the state be staffed according to agreed staffing levels, so as to ensure the equitable management of available resources.
(3) Will the minister maintain the week 1, term 2 staffing allocation at 2.8 over to avoid this massive disruption to the school’s educational program? (4) If not, why not? Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) I am advised that Bunbury Senior High School was overstaffed at the commencement of the 2006 school year.  The school has undertaken the regular processes and procedures in accordance with departmental policy to bring the school’s teaching establishment to the level commensurate with its student enrolment. (2) The school administration has advised that this timetabling restructure has not caused major disruption to the school.  I understand that all classes are compliant with the agreed sizes, as specified in the government school teachers’ and school administrators’ certified agreement 2004.  The time allocation for school administrators and other coordinators also remains within agreed ranges. (3) As the school has already undertaken timetable restructures to ensure compliance with agreed staffing levels, it would not be appropriate to maintain staffing levels above the formula from the commencement of term 2 in 2006. (4) The department requires that all schools across the state be staffed according to agreed staffing levels, so as to ensure the equitable management of available resources.
(4) If not, why not? Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) I am advised that Bunbury Senior High School was overstaffed at the commencement of the 2006 school year.  The school has undertaken the regular processes and procedures in accordance with departmental policy to bring the school’s teaching establishment to the level commensurate with its student enrolment. (2) The school administration has advised that this timetabling restructure has not caused major disruption to the school.  I understand that all classes are compliant with the agreed sizes, as specified in the government school teachers’ and school administrators’ certified agreement 2004.  The time allocation for school administrators and other coordinators also remains within agreed ranges. (3) As the school has already undertaken timetable restructures to ensure compliance with agreed staffing levels, it would not be appropriate to maintain staffing levels above the formula from the commencement of term 2 in 2006. (4) The department requires that all schools across the state be staffed according to agreed staffing levels, so as to ensure the equitable management of available resources.
Hon LJILJANNA RAVLICH replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) I am advised that Bunbury Senior High School was overstaffed at the commencement of the 2006 school year.  The school has undertaken the regular processes and procedures in accordance with departmental policy to bring the school’s teaching establishment to the level commensurate with its student enrolment. (2) The school administration has advised that this timetabling restructure has not caused major disruption to the school.  I understand that all classes are compliant with the agreed sizes, as specified in the government school teachers’ and school administrators’ certified agreement 2004.  The time allocation for school administrators and other coordinators also remains within agreed ranges. (3) As the school has already undertaken timetable restructures to ensure compliance with agreed staffing levels, it would not be appropriate to maintain staffing levels above the formula from the commencement of term 2 in 2006. (4) The department requires that all schools across the state be staffed according to agreed staffing levels, so as to ensure the equitable management of available resources.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) I am advised that Bunbury Senior High School was overstaffed at the commencement of the 2006 school year.  The school has undertaken the regular processes and procedures in accordance with departmental policy to bring the school’s teaching establishment to the level commensurate with its student enrolment. (2) The school administration has advised that this timetabling restructure has not caused major disruption to the school.  I understand that all classes are compliant with the agreed sizes, as specified in the government school teachers’ and school administrators’ certified agreement 2004.  The time allocation for school administrators and other coordinators also remains within agreed ranges. (3) As the school has already undertaken timetable restructures to ensure compliance with agreed staffing levels, it would not be appropriate to maintain staffing levels above the formula from the commencement of term 2 in 2006. (4) The department requires that all schools across the state be staffed according to agreed staffing levels, so as to ensure the equitable management of available resources.
(1) I am advised that Bunbury Senior High School was overstaffed at the commencement of the 2006 school year.  The school has undertaken the regular processes and procedures in accordance with departmental policy to bring the school’s teaching establishment to the level commensurate with its student enrolment. (2) The school administration has advised that this timetabling restructure has not caused major disruption to the school.  I understand that all classes are compliant with the agreed sizes, as specified in the government school teachers’ and school administrators’ certified agreement 2004.  The time allocation for school administrators and other coordinators also remains within agreed ranges. (3) As the school has already undertaken timetable restructures to ensure compliance with agreed staffing levels, it would not be appropriate to maintain staffing levels above the formula from the commencement of term 2 in 2006. (4) The department requires that all schools across the state be staffed according to agreed staffing levels, so as to ensure the equitable management of available resources.
(2) The school administration has advised that this timetabling restructure has not caused major disruption to the school.  I understand that all classes are compliant with the agreed sizes, as specified in the government school teachers’ and school administrators’ certified agreement 2004.  The time allocation for school administrators and other coordinators also remains within agreed ranges. (3) As the school has already undertaken timetable restructures to ensure compliance with agreed staffing levels, it would not be appropriate to maintain staffing levels above the formula from the commencement of term 2 in 2006. (4) The department requires that all schools across the state be staffed according to agreed staffing levels, so as to ensure the equitable management of available resources.
(3) As the school has already undertaken timetable restructures to ensure compliance with agreed staffing levels, it would not be appropriate to maintain staffing levels above the formula from the commencement of term 2 in 2006. (4) The department requires that all schools across the state be staffed according to agreed staffing levels, so as to ensure the equitable management of available resources.
(4) The department requires that all schools across the state be staffed according to agreed staffing levels, so as to ensure the equitable management of available resources.

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