Secondary principals ratify pay offer
Secondary principals have voted to accept a Ministry of Education pay offer but warn that it still fails to adequately
address the complexity of their jobs or solve emerging recruitment and retention problems.
The settlement includes: an overall pay increase of 9.08% from 9 July 2003; a targeted high priority principals
allowance of $3000pa for principals in a minimum of 45 schools and maximum of 50 schools from 9 July 2003; an
employer-subsidised retirement savings scheme from 9 July 2003; a requirement to advertise principals’ positions in
mergers, and a working party on professional growth and performance. It expires next April.
PPTA Principals’ Council chairperson Russell Trethewey said secondary principals were still annoyed that the complexity
of their job had not been appropriately addressed.
“While a very small margin has been created between secondary and primary principals, it is only a token recognition of
the much more complex secondary environment that principals must manage.”
He said some of the issues related to leadership in schools also hadn’t been addressed.
“We’ve already had a working party on secondary principals’ remuneration which identified the need for a remuneration
system that recognises professional growth and sound performance, but delivered nothing,” he said.
“Principals will be looking for the next working party to deliver solutions that facilitate their professional growth
and build their capacity as professional leaders in schools.”
Mr Trethewey warned that despite the settlement, recruiting and retaining secondary principals would still get harder
given the current difficulties of recruiting to middle and senior management positions in secondary schools.
“In many cases boards are unable to attract enough suitable applicants to principal positions and are having to
readvertise positions repeatedly to get a minimum field of applicants.”