Recruitment process fails to appoint principal to new Adelaide CBD high school, while 13 other public schools have leadership vacancies
THE Education Department is no closer to finding an inaugural leader for its flagship city high school set to open in 2019, after advertising the role in September.
IT’S billed as the city’s new flagship high school — providing top-class education for 1250 students — but the $160,000 a year job for a principal has failed to attract a suitable applicant.
The Education Department is no closer to finding an inaugural leader for the $100 million Frome Rd school, set to open in 2019, after advertising the role in September.
It is among 14 public schools starting the new year without a principal, with the vacancies blamed on a lack of quality applicants and difficulties in luring educators to remote regions.
SA State School Leaders Association boss John Gregory says the problem creates uncertainty, leaving schools unable to set long-term directions in key areas such as teaching methods, staffing, and financial and infrastructure planning.
Mr Gregory said principals were increasingly “isolated and vulnerable” and “more likely to be investigated than supported (by the Education Department) when problems arise”, and that was “keeping good candidates away”.
“They think there is no amount of money that would be worth that pain,” he said.
Among the other schools that will have to readvertise for a principal in 2017 are Marryatville, Blackwood and Birdwood high schools, Mark Oliphant B12 and the Australian Science and Mathematics School. The number of vacancies is well above the average.
“Schools are fairly complicated places and the certainty of leadership is a key component of fixing a direction of a school,” Mr Gregory said.
“Having settled leadership is very important, so when you are having leadership changes it tends to destabilise the school. It (the school) makes plans for the time being, rather than the long term.”
Mr Gregory said the impact of vacancies varied from school to school, depending on the effectiveness of their governing councils and the previous principals in setting directions.
The department’s executive director for people and culture, Michael Papps, said reasons for the 14 vacancies included “lateness in the year for advertisements, some remote rural locations posing challenges, and not receiving the calibre of candidates” for selection panels to make recommendations.
The department would not reveal applicant numbers for specific vacancies, including for the CBD high school position. That role, for the highest classification of principal, comes with a $162,600 salary.
The department said it was “critical” to appoint a leader “well in advance” of the school’s 2019 opening.
The successful candidate would need to lead recruitment, budgeting and curriculum, establish community partnerships, consult on a school logo and uniform and liaise with parents on enrolments.
Other schools in need of new leaders are Brighton, Elizabeth East, Port Noarlunga and Barmera primary schools, Warriappendi School for disengaged Aboriginal students in Marleston, Whyalla Stuart Campus R-7, Whyalla Special Education Centre and Coober Pedy Area School.
Mr Papps said a new “talent and succession team” would ensure all current and future vacancies were filled with “high quality and experienced leaders”.
The Advertiser revealed in March that vacancies had attracted an average of just four applicants in recent years.
Principals warned at the time that crippling workloads were deterring potential leaders just as the public system braced for large numbers of retirements, while the department pointed to its training and mentoring programs as evidence of support for current and aspiring leaders.