School flags fees hike if teachers win pay rise

A private school on the Mornington Peninsula has warned parents will be stung with higher fees if overworked teachers pursue a pay rise.

Woodleigh School says it will have to raise fees if teachers pursue a pay rise.

Teachers at a private school which received a $4.7 million JobKeeper payment have been warned if they pursue a pay claim parents will face fee increases.

Woodleigh School has offered teachers, who agreed to freeze wages last year despite an increase in workload, a one-off 2.5 per cent pay rise, which falls short of their demands for a three-year deal.

Fees range from $8000 for three-year-old kinder to $30,000 for year 12 at the Mornington Peninsula kinder to year 12 school.

During last year’s protracted school closures, Woodleigh, which has campuses in Langwarrin Mooroduc and Frankston South, offered an across-the-board fee cut of 20 per cent.

It received $4.7 million in JobKeeper and reported a surplus of more than $1m.

Catering staff were let go. It has the full time equivalent of 180 staff.

The members of the Independent Education Union are considering industrial action, saying they are frustrated that they will be forced to put out the begging bowl each year.

While not formalised, bans could cover report writing and attendance at meetings.

IEU general secretary Deb James said the union was hopeful of reaching a resolution with Woodleigh through bargaining.

“However, this process is now entering its fifth year and the current offer of a pay increase for only one year with no guarantees of future increases was unanimously rejected by members.” she said.

“But it’s not just pay at stake. Workload remains a major issue and it must be addressed in this round of bargaining. Overworked staff are frustrated they can’t get on with doing the job they want to do — teaching, leading, and bringing out the best in all their students. Un-manageable workloads, loaded with meetings and administrative tasks, are leading to teacher burnout.”

Woodleigh principal David Baker said JobKeeper allowed the school, which as 900 students, to pay staff during the pandemic.

“Last year’s long-term lockdowns severely impacted many members of our community. We offered discounts during the pandemic’s peak, which helped many of our families to keep their children at Woodleigh, and we remain committed to helping our families as best we can,” he said.

“We have offered teachers and non-teaching staff a wage increase for 2022 and are committed to working positively with our team to deliver further increases in future years as our circumstances.”