99 Percent of Principals Back Pay Claim

EMBARGOED until Tuesday July 3 2007
Tuesday July 3 2007 From NZEI Te Riu Roa
Media Advisory

99 Percent of Principals Back Pay Claim to Attract and Retain School Leaders

Ninety nine percent of principals attending paid union meetings this month voted in favour of a $35 million claim for fairer pay and paid sabbatical leave. The claim will be presented to the Ministry of Education by education union NZEI Te Riu Roa on Wednesday July 4th.

It seeks to redesign principals' salary scale to make it more equitable and transparently fair. Depending on the size of school, principals would receive a pay increase of between 5% and 18%. The increase would also reinstate a sensible margin between the base salary of a small school principal and the top rate of a classroom teacher. A further 4% increase per year for the second and third years of the proposed agreement is also sought, along with 200 sabbatical leave positions of 10 weeks durations, up from a current 40 such sabbatical positions.

NZEI President Irene Cooper says the claim was strongly supported by principals nationally. "This is a significant claim in response to a major problem with the recruitment and retention of principals. If we cannot attract and recruit good people to be school leaders, our internationally respected schooling system and our students' learning will suffer."

Recent NZEI research shows that over a third (39 percent) of the 90 schools advertising for a principal in the Ecucation Gazette over the past six months had to advertise more than once. Some small rural schools were forced to advertise more than four times.

Supporting on-going learning by principals is also a key aspect of the claim.

"There was overwhelming support for increasing opportunities for professional learning by principals around the country," Ms Cooper says. "All the research shows that investing in school leadership is fundamental to ensuring we maintain and enhance quality public education in the 21st century."

ENDS

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