SA teachers strike over inadequate pay offer as they deal with ‘complexity in classrooms and more students with difficulties and disabilities
More than 250 SA schools closed on Monday as striking teachers walked off the job, citing the latest pay offer, growing class sizes and classroom “complexity”.
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John Farnham’s hit song You’re the Voice blared as thousands of striking teachers rallied outside Parliament House in Adelaide to protest pay and conditions on Monday.
More than 250 South Australian public schools closed on Monday so teachers could rally in the city as well as Whyalla, Port Lincoln and Mt Gambier.
The Australian Education Union recently rejected a 2.35 per cent annual pay rise from the Government along with other changes to working conditions.
“The offer’s not good enough,” SA branch president Howard Spreadbury told the Adelaide rally.
“It needs to come back, be revised and we’ll have another look at that and see if it’s ready for acceptance.”
Mr Spreadbury said a substandard agreement would have a detrimental impact on education outcomes for students, and teachers should not have to compensate for a funding shortfall.
“We can’t keep running a public education system just on your goodwill,” he said.
“It requires resources and it requires commitment from the state government to invest appropriately at all levels of public education to make this state the great state.”
Fulham North Primary School teacher Heather McDonald, who has worked in the public education system for more than 30 years, wants smaller class sizes and more respect for teachers.
“I am absolutely over children not having enough room to work and if we increase class sizes, particularly for the junior primaries, they’re not going to have enough,” she said.
“The children in our state deserve better.”
She said many teachers were underpaid and exhausted but persevered for the sake of their students.
“I had two 14-hour days this week and I’m almost 60, and I can’t keep doing it,” she said.
“I’m here because I love my job and I love my students but we can’t keep doing it like this anymore.
“We need respect and we need support to do our jobs well.”
The strike comes over a “woefully inadequate” funding offer to help schools cope with students needing special support — the equivalent of one extra teacher for every four schools, the AUE says.
The union has cited growing classroom “complexity” as one of the reasons for Monday’s strike.
“We think that is too important to compromise,” the union said in a statement.
The union argues rising numbers of students with disabilities and learning difficulties, behaviour problems, or suffering from trauma, is unfairly raising workloads.
It says that in response to State Government “stonewalling”, it ran a member survey which had 900 responses.
The survey found the average class of 28 students had three with disabilities, five needing individual learning plans, five with learning difficulties not officially diagnosed, eight with behavioural or emotional problems, and six non-native English speakers.
In the state branch’s latest magazine published on Friday, AEU vice-president Lara Golding wrote: “The Government’s current offer includes a woeful inadequate $12 million per year to address complexity. Under its terms, the (Education) Department will determine where money will be allocated, and some schools may not receive any at all. For those that do, there are no guarantees it will provide any support or workload relief for classroom teachers.”
Ms Golding wrote the “many faces” of class complexity include “the student whom trauma has left unable to cope with the sound of an electric pencil sharpener” and “the child who sleeps in class because it is safe (compared to home)”.
The union’s state president Howard Spreadbury said the “startling” results of the survey, revealed in April, meant “a comprehensive audit” of schools was needed to determine a reasonable funding figure.
Education Minister John Gardner said the funding was “not intended to be bluntly proportioned to every teacher”.
“(It) is targeted to schools where the level of complexity means this funding can be used for interventions across the school to have the most impact for teachers,” he said.
As well as rejecting a 2.35 per cent pay offer, the union has raised concerns over class sizes, teachers’ struggles for permanency, and changes it says would put part-timers’ work conditions at risk.
Mr Gardner said teacher permanency was above 80 per cent and there was “no intention” to reduce conditions for part-time staff.
“Under our proposal the department will still consult with the AEU on policy changes. However, having to agree these changes with the union disproportionately emphasises the interests of the AEU,” he said.
— with AAP
List of schools closing due to strike action
Aberfoyle Hub R-7 School
Aberfoyle Park High School
Adelaide High School
Adelaide Miethke Kindergarten
Adelaide North Special School
Adelaide Secondary School of English
Adelaide West Special Education Centre
Alberton Preschool
Alberton Primary School
Aldgate Primary School
Aldinga Beach B-7 School
Allenby Gardens Child Parent Centre
Allenby Gardens Primary School
Allendale East Area School
Angaston Primary School
Angle Vale Primary School
Ardtornish Primary School
Ascot Park Primary School
Athelstone School
Augusta Park Childhood Services Centre
Auslan Early Learning Program
Avenues College
Banksia Park International High School
Banksia Park School R-7
Belair Primary School
Bellevue Heights Primary School
Black Forest Primary School
Blackwood High School
Blackwood Primary School
Blakeview Primary School
Booborowie Playcentre
Booborowie Primary School
Bowden Brompton Community School (Torrens Road Campus only)
Brahma Lodge Primary School
Bridgewater Primary School
Brighton Secondary School
Brinkworth Preschool Centre
Brinkworth Primary School
Ceduna Area School
Christie Downs Kindergarten
Christie Downs Primary School
Christies Beach HS & Southern Vocational College
Christies Beach Primary School
Clapham Primary School
Clare High School
Clovelly Park Primary School
Colonel Light Gardens Primary School
Coober Pedy Area School
Coober Pedy Child Parent Centre
Coomandook and Districts Kindergarten
Coomandook Area School
Coorara Primary School
Coromandel Valley Primary School
Cowandilla Children’s Centre
Cowandilla Primary School
Craigburn Primary School
Craigmore High School
Craigmore South Primary School
East Marden Primary School
East Torrens Primary School
Eastern Fleurieu Milang Playcentre
Eastern Fleurieu R-12 School — Strathalbyn R-6 Campus
Eden Hills Kindergarten
Eden Hills Primary School
Elizabeth Downs Child Parent Centre
Elizabeth Downs Primary School
Elizabeth North Primary School
Enfield Primary School
Errington Special Education Centre
Evanston Gardens Primary School
Fairview Park Child Parent Centre
Fairview Park Primary School
Flinders Park Primary School
Flinders View Child Parent Centre
Forbes Primary School (Special classes open with modified program)
Fraser Park Child Parent Centre
Fraser Park Primary School
Fulham North Primary School
Gawler East Primary School
Gladstone High School
Glen Osmond Primary School
Glenelg Primary School
Golden Grove High School
Goolwa Primary School
Gordon Education Centre
Grange Primary School
Grant High School
Greenock Primary School
Greenwith Kindergarten
Hahndorf Preschool
Hahndorf Primary School
Hallett Cove East Primary School
Hamilton Secondary College (Disability Unit is open)
Happy Valley Primary School
Hawker Area School
Hawthorndene Primary School
Hendon Primary School
Henley Beach Primary School
Henley High School Supportive Learning Centre only (Henley High School will be open)
Highbury Primary School
Highgate School
Hincks Avenue Primary School
John Hartley School (B-7)
John Pirie Secondary School
Kadina Memorial School
Kalaya Children’s Centre
Keith Area School
Keller Road Primary School
Kersbrook Primary School
Kilkenny Preschool
Kilkenny Primary School
Klemzig Primary School
Kongorong Child Parent Centre
Kongorong Primary School
Koolunga Primary School
Lake Windemere B-7 School
Lake Windemere B-7 School Children’s Centre
Lameroo and District Kindergarten
Lameroo Regional Community School
Langhorne Creek Playcentre
Largs Bay School
Laura Preschool Centre
Laura Primary School
Le Fevre Kindergarten Inc
Linden Park Primary School
Littlehampton Preschool
Littlehampton Primary School
Lockleys Primary School
Long Street Primary School
Lucindale Area School
Lyndoch Primary School
Mannum Community College
Mark Oliphant College (B-12)
Marryatville High School
McRitchie Crescent Children’s Services Centre
Memorial Oval Primary School
Mil Lel Primary School
Minlaton District School
Mitcham Girls High School
Modbury Child Parent Centre
Modbury High School
Modbury School Preschool to Year 7
Modbury West School
Moonta Area School
Moorak Child Parent Centre
Morphett Vale Primary School
Mount Barker Primary School
Mount Gambier High School
Mount Gambier North Primary School (Intensive English Language Program with be open — modified program)
Mount Pleasant Primary School
Murray Bridge South Primary School
Nailsworth Primary School
Nairne Primary School
Napperby Preschool
Napperby Primary School
Naracoorte High School
Neta Kranz Children’s Centre
Norrie Stuart Childhood Services Centre
North Adelaide Primary School
North Haven Kindergarten
North Haven School
North Ingle School
Northfield Preschool
Northfield Primary School
Norwood Morialta High School
Nuriootpa Primary School
Ocean View College Children’s Centre
Ocean View P-12 College
O’Sullivan Beach Primary School
Para Hills High School
Parafield Gardens High School
Paringa Park Primary School
Pimpala Primary School
Playford Primary School
Plympton Primary School
Point Pearce Child Parent Centre
Poonindie Community Learning Centre
Port Augusta West Primary School
Port Elliot Primary School
Port Lincoln High School
Port Lincoln Junior Primary School
Port Lincoln Primary School
Port Pirie West Primary School
Prospect North Primary School
Prospect Primary School
Reidy Park Primary School
Renmark North Preschool
Renmark North Primary School
Renmark Primary School
Renmark West Primary School
Reynella East College
Reynella East Preschool
Reynella Primary School
Reynella South Preschool
Richmond Primary School
Ridgehaven Child Parent Centre
Ridgehaven Primary School
Risdon Park Primary School
Riverland Special School
Riverton and District High School
Roma Mitchell Secondary College
Rose Park Primary School
Roseworthy Primary School
Roxby Downs Area School
Salisbury Heights Primary School
Salisbury Park Primary School
School of Languages
Seaford K-7 A Birth to Year 7 Campus
Seaton High School
Seaton Park Primary School
Seaview High School
Sheidow Park Primary School
Snowtown Primary School
Snowtown School Based Preschool
Solomontown Primary School
Stansbury Primary School
Stirling East Primary School
Stirling North Childhood Services Centre
Stirling North Primary School
Stradbroke School
Streaky Bay Area School
Sturt Street Community School
Swallowcliffe Preschool
The Grove Education Centre
The Heights Preschool
The Heights School
The Pines Child Parent Centre
The Pines School
Thiele Primary School
Thorndon Park Kindergarten
Thorndon Park Primary School
Trinity Gardens School
Unley High School
Unley Primary School
Uraidla Primary School
Urrbrae Agricultural High School
Valley View Secondary School
Victor Harbor High School
Victor Harbor R-7 School
Walkerville Primary School
Warradale Primary School
West Beach Primary School
West Lakes Shore Kindergarten
Westbourne Park Primary School
Whyalla High School
Whyalla Special Education Centre
Whyalla Stuart Early Childhood Centre Kindergarten
Williamstown Primary School
Williamstown School-Based Preschool
Willunga High School
Willunga Primary School
Wirreanda Secondary School
Woodcroft Primary School
Woodville Gardens School B-7
Woodville Gardens School B-7 Children’s Centre
Yahl Primary School
Yankalilla Area School
Youth Education Centre (Jonal Drive site)
— with AAP
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