How will MMAs be allocated?

The wording of the Secondary Teachers' Collective Agreement (STCA) for the allocation of the new Middle Management Allowances (MMAs) is the same as that for the allocation of management units. Many schools will already have a well developed consultative process and have transparency around the allocation of units. If the principal and PPTA branch members feel that this is an effective process, they may simply apply that consultation process to the MMAs.

The contractual requirement for consultation is met if:

• There is sufficient time allowed for teaching staff to provide input into both the process of consultation and the actual allocation itself;
• There is a genuine effort to accommodate the views of those being consulted, i.e. it is a reality, not a charade.
• Sufficient information (see below) is supplied to the teaching staff to enable them to make reasonable representation in the process of distribution.

A full legal definition of consultation is attached as Appendix 2 to assist.

To provide the teaching staff with a real opportunity for input into the consultation process the school will need to provide the following information as a minimum:

• The number of MMAs to which the school has an entitlement; and
• The number of potentially eligible positions and the number of units attached to each of those positions ⁽¹⁾; and
• The school's unit allocation policy
• Any other school policies that may be relevant to the distribution of the MMAs.

The exact process of consultation may vary from school to school, and the PPTA branch will naturally have an important role in facilitating consultation with teaching staff within a school.