NZEI NEWS 20 April 2010 - Mission at PUMS

NZEI NEWS 11e 23 March 2010- All aboard for Parliament

NZEI News 2010/03e - 17 February

"The glossy, recently published New Zealand literacy and numeracy standards have no data, no evidence and no evaluation - they are pronouncements without evidence. If there is evidence outside committee contemplations where is it? Until there is evidence the standards remain untested and experimental ... we seem complacent in our ignorance of the evidence and ignorance of standards-setting methods." (Professor John Hattie (2009), Horizons and Whirlpools p8)
 
NZEI's National Standards Bus Tour is in Auckland this week after successful visits to Dunedin and Oamaru in the South, and Whangarei and the mid-North.

Visit handsupforlearning for a detailed itinerary, to sign-up and send an e-card to John Key, a round up of media coverage, and photos from the campaign.

What can you do to support the campaign this week?

• Diary Wednesday 31st March, 12 noon. NZEI members and parents will be converging on Parliament for a mass rally.  We'd like representation at the rally from all over the country, so talk to your NZEI branch about who could be released to be sent to represent your part of the country.  If you're in Wellington, transport to Parliament will be organised by NZEI's Central Region office - details to follow!  And if you can't get out of your school, we're looking at ways you can participate "virtually".

• We're aiming to present your school community appeal - preferably signed by your principal, Board Chair and worksite rep at least - at Parliament on the 31st March, so please get it back to NZEI National Office as soon as possible, and by 26 March at the latest.

• If your staffroom hasn't set a target for the number of signatures you will get on the "Trial National Standards Not Our Kids" petition, set one today!

Paid Union Meetings in March

Don't forget to check when the nearest paid union meetings for primary principals and teachers are for you and your worksite. Strong attendance at these meetings is critical to show your collective determination to achieve a successful result in negotiations. Check out the paid union meeting nearest you.
Primary Teachers, Principals.

New grading for ECECA Administrators

A new payscale and grading for ECECA Administrators comes into effect on 1 March 2010. A guide is available on the NZEI website.

NZEI Te Riu Roa Scholarships

Two scholarships are available for Support Staff members and two for Early Childhood members for the 2011 academic year. Applications are invited from April 2010. The scholarships provide a great opportunity to further your career by completing a qualification, carrying out a research project or attending a professional conference. Begin planning your application now.

New payroll will make start of year easier

Support staff in schools working through start of year payroll processes can look forward to a much easier time this year. With Novopay school payroll staff will be able to enter staff changes throughout the year as they happen.

The Support Staff National Caucus te Kaiawhina Tautoko gave valuable feedback to the Novopay Project team when they met at the end of last year. With all the enthusiasm and the questions the session could easily have run for two hours instead of one! For more information on how Novopay will make your job easier check Novopay online.

NZEI News - 9 February 2010/02e

Hands Up For Learning bus tour is wild success.

"There will always be those that resist change, who fear increased accountability and who put their own vested interests ahead of New Zealand's young people.  We will not bow down to those critics…. Inevitably national standards will identify some teachers who need to change their ways and step up."
Prime Minister John Key at his Beehive Press Conference 2 February 2010

"Teachers who…[are] unwilling to come under scrutiny"  
Tariana Turia, co-leader of the Maori Party, commenting on why Maori lack qualifications and therefore have higher rates of unemployment, Morning Report, RNZ, 5 February 2010.

NZEI’s National Standards Bus Tour got off to a hiss and a roar in Kaitaia and Bluff last week, with huge national media attention thanks to the Government's attack on the teaching profession and NZEI for having the temerity to call for National Standards to be trialled. NZEI suggests politicians should ask themselves why - if teachers are so averse to change and accountability - they have so whole heartedly worked with their communities to implement the New Zealand Curriculum demands.
 
Visit www.handsupforlearning.org.nz to send an e-card to John Key, link to media coverage, and see photos of NZEI members and the bus in action.

What can you do to support the campiagn?

• Download the public petition and set a target for your staffroom for the number of signatories you can get.
• Talk to your staff rep on your Board of Trustees. Suggest they make sure the issue of National Standards and the need for a trial is on your Board’s next meeting agenda.
• Get your school community appeal signed by your principal, Board Chair and worksite rep and get it back to NZEI National Office as soon as possible, and by 26 March at the latest.

The Government's decision to flood the nation's letterboxes with glossy pamphlets about the Standards, paid for by the taxpayer, was, one commentator noted,  a sign that the Government had left “too much of the running to the primary teacher unions – whose links with their local communities make them a far more formidable force than their secondary school teacher counterparts…if [the Government] follows through on the threat to sack school boards… it will no longer be a fight with the teacher unions, but a fight with the local communities and parents who make up school boards.”  (Tracy Watkins, Dominion Post 3 February 2010)

The force of feeling in local communities was obvious as NZEI's buses were welcomed throughout Northland and Southland last week. We got very positive feedback from parents and the wider public during petition signing in shopping centres and main streets. As Kaitaia Primary principal Brendon Morrissey said: “The bus provides an opportunity for the community voice to be heard, not just the Ministry's or the Minister's. My board is unanimous about the need to communicate to our parents, not just about what the Standards will do now, but potentially where they could lead.”

To join the campaign, send an e-card to John Key and find out  when the bus is near you see www.handsupforlearning.org.nz

Primary Teachers Paid Union Meetings in March

National Standards will also be on the agenda at primary teacher's paid union meetings in March, where key issues for the renewal of your collective agreement will be discussed. Strong attendance at these meetings is critical to show your collective determination to achieve a successful result in negotiations. Check out the paid union meeting nearest you.

NZEI News - 16 December 2009/28e

Seasons greetings to you all!

It's great to be able to bring you good news in the last NZEI News of the year.

Support staff deal cracks wage freeze in state sector

A huge campaign by support staff members and the wider union has finally resulted in a settlement of the support staff collective agreement.

The key points of the proposed settlement are:

* A significant move on minimum pay for support staff. From 27 January 2010, the bottom step in Grade A for both Administrative and Associate will be $14.00 with the next step being $14.62. The bottom step of Grade B will be $14.62 - equivalent to the 'pay jolt' we campaigned for and were promised in 2008.
* A 1.4 % pay increase for support staff on rates above $14.62 from 27 January 2010.
* An exchange of letters to progress the workforce strategy. (Full details of the workforce strategy will be provided at the time of ratification.)
* Annualisation for fixed term employees employed for the full school year starting in 2011.
* From 2011, ministry notification to employers of when a member’s increment is due.

No new money was provided for this settlement. The pay jolt and percentage increase are to come out of the Operations Grant, which was increased by 1.95% in the May 2009 Budget.

The new agreement will run from 10 December 2009 to 31 March 2011.

The support staff negotiating team worked hard for more than a year to complete the negotiations, with the Ministry of Education offering a nil increase until the final days of negotiation. The NZEI National Executive and the support staff negotiating team are recommending this settlement to members.

Because it is so late in the school year, a postal ballot of members to ratify the agreement will take place in the first two weeks of term one in 2010. A longer report and ballot papers will go to members at that time.The full terms of settlement are here.

This settlement is a tribute to all NZEI members and your determination to see a fair deal for support staff. The "whole of union" approach taken during this campaign made all the difference and the negotiating team wish to thank all members, principals, teachers and support staff for the support they have given the team over the past 12 months.

This settlement is just the start of a long road to ensure the highly skilled work of school support staff is fully recognized and valued. While the settlement ticks all the boxes for now, it is essential that we maintain the momentum that members have built.

Kaiarahi i te Reo, Therapists, ATSSD and Special Education Assistants Collective Agreement Negotiations (KRCA)

Now that a settlement has been reached for the Support Staff in Schools Collective Agreement, it is hoped that progress can be made for the KRCA negotiations. Dates have been set for 26-27 January. Members will be updated on the negotiations following these dates.
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NZEI News - 8 December 2009/27e

Will National Standards put children's learning at risk?

NZEI is encouraging members to engage parents in conversation about the risks National Standards pose to children's learning. The Government claims that teachers oppose the Standards because they don't want to be accountable, but that parents are strongly in support of them. Like the untested nature of the Standards, these claims are not backed by the evidence!

We strongly believe parents have the right to know about the progress and achievements of their children, but National Standards are an untested system that is being introduced without genuine engagement with teachers or parents.

NZEI's position is that:

1. National Standards should be trialled and evaluated in a small number of schools before being rolled out nationally, or abandoned if the Government does not commit to this, and
2. No school should implement National Standards unless and until comprehensive facilitated Professional Development has been made available to all staff and Board of Trustees.

This week schools should have received a mailing from NZEI which includes a poster asking "Will National Standards Put Learning At Risk�" and a guide to the key points to make in conversations with friends, family and parents over the next few months.

ACTION:

1. Please download more copies of the poster asking "Will National Standards Put Learning At Risk�" Display it in your school or community where parents are likely to see it over the summer break. We want parents to be aware that the teaching profession wants to talk with them about this issue.

2. Make a commitment to having at least one conversation over the summer with friends, over the BBQ or on the beach… about the profession's concerns about National Standards. Use this factsheet as a guide.

3. Read NZEI's Action Plan on National Standards.

Visit www.nzei.org.nz for more information. Let us know what you think post your views at www.nationalstandards.org.nz

Summer reading Education Aotearoa

The new Education Aotearoa is out this week. Read about National Standards, The Under Two debate, the three best interventions to lift student achievement, the support staff walk of shame, personal learning networks, great ways to relax these holidays, international news, and a whole lot more. You can add your views, join a competition and watch video of people featured in the magazine at www.educationaotearoa.org.nz

To make sure all NZEI members get their copy of Education Aotearoa, worksite reps will receive an email this week with the names of members at your site. If you’re the worksite rep, please make sure all members receive their copies. You may receive your magazine in two separate bundles (it's cheaper on postage). But sometimes the bundles arrive on different days - so don't worry if you don't get enough copies, the rest should arrive in a day or two. If members have left or joined NZEI recently, your email list may be a little out of date. Also, NZEI is updating the names of worksite reps on the system - please let us know, if the name of the worksite rep needs updating (steve.coates@nzei.org.nz).

New Worksite Rep or support staff contact in your worksite?

Worksite reps and SS contacts are crucial to the work of our union. There are still some worksites which have not sent in the name and contact information for their 2010 worksite rep and/or SS contact. It would be helpful to have them all by COB Friday 18 December for planning purposes over the holidays. Please use the electronic form on the home page at www.nzei.org.nz to send us this information.

Support Staff negotiations: watch this space!

The support staff negotiating team met with the Ministry of Education team last week and another day of discussions was scheduled for Wednesday this week. We'll keep you updated on any progress.

Study Awards, Sabbaticals, Study Award Grants

Information on the Ministry of Education-funded Primary and Area Teacher and Principal (including Kura Kaupapa Māori) Study Awards, Sabbaticals, Study Support Grants, Fellowships and Prestigious Awards are available on the NZEI website - go to either Primary Teachers / Principals / Area Schools pages.

Applications open in May 2010 with awards to be taken up in the 2011 academic year. To maximise this opportunity, consider planning your proposal over the summer break!

NZEI Te Riu Roa Scholarships

Two scholarships are available for Support Staff members and two for Early Childhood members for the 2011 academic year.

Information will be available at www.nzei.org.nz from early December 2009, with applications being invited from April 2010. These provide a great opportunity to further your career by completing a qualification, carrying out a research project or attending a professional conference. Begin planning your application now.

Closing over Christmas

NZEI's 0800 NZEI HELP service will be open until 5pm on Christmas Eve.

NZEI national and regional offices will close a day earlier, at 5pm on December 23rd and re-open on Thursday January 7th 2010 at 8.30am.

Seasons greetings to all NZEI members!
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NZEI News - 24 November 2009/22e

Calls mount for National Standards to be road-tested or abandoned

Most of the participants at last week's forum agreed the national standards policy represents considerable risk to student learning. New Zealand's leading academics and researchers confirmed the practitioner view that the education system should not embark upon the standards without rigorous trials being undertaken first.

As a result, NZEI's leadership groups and the NZ Principals' Federation have agreed that:

1. The risks represented by this policy are such that a limited trial should undertaken before the policy is implemented on a system-wide basis. For example,

* teachers haven't been engaged with this policy
* The validity of the standards is untested and presents risk both to the teaching process and to students' learning
* The short timeframe for implementation of national standards puts schools under undue pressure. This creates a significant risk to successful implementation of the New Zealand Curriculum in 2010.

2. Schools (and their BoTs) that elect to be in the national standards trial must be fully supported by professional development and the programme must be evaluated closely.

3. Any risks or unintended consequences identified must be acted upon before further system-wide implementation is undertaken.

Find out more about what NZEI is planning to do, and what you need to know, at http://www.nzei.org.nz/National+Standards.html

It's time to think pink - School Support Staff Days of Action confirmed
There's been no settlement in the support staff negotiations so the Days of Action on Friday 27 and Saturday 28 November will take place. Go to www.nzei.org.nz and click on "Think Pink"� for more information about the venues for the rallies and resource material for in-school activities.

We encourage all school staff to wear pink and black on Friday and to let your wider community know why it's important support staff get a fair deal. You can also invite Bill English and other Government MPs to "walk in our shoes"� by emailing them to ask them to work for $12.94 on Friday and donate the rest of their day's income to charity. See the Think Pink information on www.nzei.org.nz for more information.

Low pay rallies - Friday November 27th

NZEI support staff are also being encouraged to take part in lunchtime rallies on November 27th with members of the Service and Food Workers Union and the PSA, to protest against the government's wage freeze in the state sector. The action is timed to coincide with a strike by hospital cleaners, caretakers and disability support workers. The rallies will start at 12.30pm in 37 centres around the country check for details on this pdf document.

Auckland March and Rally

On Saturday 28 November a large march up Queen Street in Auckland is planned to show the level of frustration over the government's failure to give support staff a fair deal. This is a chance for everyone "teachers, principals and all school communities" to take to the streets and show that support staff are valued and deserve to be recognised. The march will go from Queen Elizabeth Square at 12pm and finish with a rally and BBQ in Myers Park.

All members in the Auckland and surrounding areas are asked to bring colleagues, family and friends.

Negotiating Update

The support staff negotiating team met the Ministry on 18 and19 November. While the support staff team wanted a settlement the Ministry wanted more understanding of the three principles. Nothing new came out of the meeting. The Ministry team now want time to report back to the Minister. We agreed that we would meet again on the 9 December but we refused to stop the Days of Action. The team gave a clear message that we expect the Ministry to come back with a changed mandate on 9 December.

School Leadership and Student Outcomes

The latest in the Best Evidence Series from the Ministry of Education is out. NZEI Te Riu Roa members and staff had a big input into the publication, and it has already won two international awards. One copy has been sent to each school principal, but there are a few extra copies available from the ministry. You'll need to be in quick if you want to order (orders@thechair.minedu.govt.nz.), or you can find it online at http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/themes/BES.

Voluntary Bonding Scheme - Information for Graduating Teachers

Looking for a teaching position for 2010 and worried about paying off your student debt? You might want to consider applying for a position in a school that is in the "Voluntary Bonding Scheme"�. If you take up a full time position in one of these schools you will receive $3,500 (before tax) annually for every year up to five years with the first payment made after being in the position for three years. Find out more on the NZEI website.

Study Awards, Sabbaticals, Study Award Grants

Information on the Ministry of Education-funded Primary and Area Teacher and Principal (including Kura Kaupapa Māori) Study Awards, Sabbaticals, Study Support Grants, Fellowships and Prestigious Awards are available on the NZEI website - go to either Primary Teachers / Principals / Area Schools pages.

Applications open in May 2010 with awards to be taken up in the 2011 academic year. To maximise this opportunity, consider planning your proposal over the summer break!

NZEI Te Riu Roa Scholarships

Two scholarships are available for Support Staff members and two for Early Childhood members for the 2011 academic year.

Information will be available at www.nzei.org.nz from early December 2009, with applications being invited from April 2010. These provide a great opportunity to further your career by completing a qualification, carrying out a research project or attending a professional conference. Begin planning your application now.

South Island schools decide who will use Novopay

South Island schools are being asked to say who will work on Novopay, the new online payroll service being rolled out from 2010. Payroll users in schools can be given access to all the payroll records in their school, or just to a particular group of staff, such as non-teaching staff. Novopay access authorisation forms need to be returned by this Friday 27 November.

For more information on how Novopay will make your job easier check the Novopay webpages.

Wear a white ribbon on 25 November

Wednesday 25 November marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Wear a white ribbon as your personal pledge to always speak out against violence towards women and children. Find out more at www.whiteribbon.org.nz
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0800 NZEI HELP (0800 693 443)
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