Recent PPTA press/media releases.
1 March 2013
Minister for memory lapses John Banks has conveniently forgotten about the democratic process says PPTA president Angela Roberts.
In announcing the establishment of a charter school appointment board while the Education and Science Select Committee is still deliberating suggests the public hearings have been a complete sham.
Either that or he was showing utter contempt for the political process, Roberts said.
26 February 2013
With the government still dithering over helping those hit by the Novopay nightmare, PPTA is launching a group legal action on behalf of its members.
PPTA president Angela Roberts said the association would be seeking compensation for members for the hurt, humiliation and financial suffering caused by the dysfunctional payroll system.
The association’s national executive met at the weekend, resolving to open a legal channel that will enable members to take collective legal action.
Despite reassuring noises made by government representatives, as late in the piece as yesterday there were still no definite plans to roll out a resourced survival package for affected schools and their employees, Roberts said.
In the face of this, and growing pressure from struggling members, PPTA has decided to take matters into its own hands, she said.
22 February 2013
Minister in charge of Novopay Steven Joyce is showing no sense of urgency over the human cost of Novopay, PPTA president Angela Roberts says.
Roberts attended a Novopay briefing yesterday expecting to see a survival package for schools, only to find there was no plan to consider.
The meeting focussed on inquiries into technical and accountability issues but not human ones. At a time when schools and their staff were struggling financially, mentally and physically this was inexcusable, Roberts said.
“Why hasn't Joyce announced what he can do for schools to help them through this nightmare? This has to be made a higher priority.
"The suffering that follows each pay day and the lack of support from the government is building to a pressure point among members," she said.
19 February 2013
There is no educational or financial justification for charter schools, only a cynically political one, PPTA president Angela Roberts says.
Roberts, who will be presenting PPTA’s submission on the Education Amendment Bill to the Education and Science Select Committee tomorrow, said the only reason for charter schools to proceed was the single vote the Epsom electorate supplied.
“If the Act Party and its wealthy backers really believe they have the silver bullet for addressing educational underachievement, they should have the confidence to fund the experiment themselves and not demand full taxpayer funding while trying to evade accountability for spending it,” she said.
Also presenting to the committee tomorrow will be Karran Harper Royal, a New Orleans parent activist who has seen first-hand the damage charter schools did to her community after Hurricane Katrina.
Harper Royal is in Auckland at present - with support from opposition parties and PPTA - and will share the real story of the “cruel hoax” of charter schools in the US at a public meeting for parents at Kia Aroha College from 6pm tonight.
The New Zealand Post Primary Teachers' Association / Te Wehengarua (PPTA) has written to the Minister in charge of school payroll Steven Joyce, Minister of Education Hekia Parata and acting Secretary for Education Peter Hughes suggesting some mechanisms that could provide recompense and support for schools.
The list includes:
financial compensation for schools via the operations grant,
additional tagged support-staff time so teachers get back to teaching and principals back to leading learning;
extra time for senior managers who have had to put their professional responsibilities on hold to focus on Novopay and a one-off special leave provision for principals who have been working all hours, gratis, for Talent2.
It also calls for the employment of more trained staff at the Novopay call centres with each school having an identified contact person;
the provision of EAP (employee assistance programmes) for staff suffering from stress
and compensation for interest, penalty payments and tax incurred by teachers and schools.
8 February 2013
While investigations are being launched into who is responsible for the Novopay payroll disaster – schools, students, principals and administration staff are buckling under the pressure of a broken payroll system.
PPTA is urgently calling for a rescue package to support the education sector while the Novopay mess is sorted out, president Angela Roberts says.
“In an ideal world the system would be replaced tomorrow with something that works effectively – but realistically, even with a technical review underway, that is not going to happen. If reality dictates schools must endure until the payroll system is repaired or replaced then we must ensure they, their personnel and students do not bear the brunt of a situation not of their own making.”
It was unacceptable that resources, time and funding were being drained from the core functions of schools and that the focus of senior managers and teachers was being constantly directed away from teaching and learning, Roberts said.
“At this time of year teachers and principals should be concentrating on settling their cohort of students in. It is not right that students’ education should suffer because of this.”
In consultation with principals and senior managers PPTA is writing to minister in charge of school payroll Steven Joyce and acting secretary for education Peter Hughes suggesting some mechanisms that could provide recompense and support for schools.
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Letter to Steven Joyce