Government plan will see top teachers earn up to $700 a day

The best NSW school teachers are to be paid more than $700 per school day under a new government plan.

A new government plan will see the best NSW school teachers being paid more than $700 per school day to reward talented teachers with super salaries.

An annual salary of almost $150,000 is on the table for top-performing teachers, with a new survey revealing eight in 10 educators would require new roles with higher pay to keep them from leaving the classroom.

Educators who are assessed as “expert teachers” would earn bigger salaries “in recognition of their skills and impact” in public school classrooms across the state, as per a policy proposal released by the state government on Tuesday.

The NSW Department of Education survey of 1350 public school teachers found more than two-thirds would be interested in taking on one of the proposed roles, and 79 per cent agreed it was necessary to create new teaching jobs to stop educators abandoning classrooms for deputy principal roles with better remuneration.

About half of respondents said creating the new positions would make teaching a more attractive profession.

Currently, long-serving teachers in NSW get a maximum salary of $107,779, but the union is fighting to increase that by between five and 7.5 per cent. Picture: Kelly Barnes

“The survey response showed three out of four teachers would be interested in “putting themselves forward for such a role,” NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said.

“Pay packets ranging from $117,000 to $147,000 are being considered, depending on how much mentoring and collaboration time the teacher undertook.

“This is about recognising and rewarding the great teachers we have in our public schools, with the aim of keeping them in the classroom where they do their magic,” Ms Mitchell said.

Currently, long-serving teachers in NSW receive a maximum salary of $107,779, but the union is fighting to increase that by between five and 7.5 per cent.

University of Melbourne education expert John Hattie will visit more than 100 public schools with policy experts in the next month to consult teachers and principals about the salary overhaul as a part of him leading advice on the changes.

Minister Mitchell was hopeful for the plan to hand out more cash to better teachers, devised by Education guru Prof John Hattie, could start as soon as next year.

Three-quarters of teachers surveyed said they are interested in taking up the lucrative positions, prompting the government’s plan, subjective to some roundtable discussion throughout November.

The announcement comes after the release of horror NAPLAN results for Year 9 NSW boys on Monday, with Ms Mitchell vowing to get those students “extra tutoring so they can pass the minimum standard”.

“I think there’s an opportunity for our schools to look at the student data and make sure that those with extra support, particularly boys in Year 9 who need it for reading, are able to access those tutors,” she said.

“We will support our students and we will support our teachers to ensure that we’re seeing students reach those minimum standards.”

The worst results for grammar and punctuation in NAPLAN since the tests began more than a decade ago came from the state’s Year 9 boys.

The latest annual snapshot of student learning also reveals a growing crisis in our regional and remote schools.

Originally published as Government plan will see top teachers earn up to $700 a day