New Zealand School Trustees Association
Memorandum to Boards : 2010/1
School :
Chair :
(where no email is indicated then the memo is sent via principal/school)
Principal :
(please advise any changes to above addresses)
From : Colin Davies(NZSTA)
Date : 5 February 2010
Subject: Start of Term 1
Purpose : Brief memo to provide information on matters that need to be considered or reminded on for the start of the school year. There are a number of links so you need to have HTML on your email.
Welcome to the “Old” and the New : Welcome back to those who were with us in 2009 and warm greetings for those just joining the email tree for 2010. With the start of the year come a number of changes to the chair and principal positions so it is timely to let you know what’s available to support you in your roles and some reminders/suggestions.
NZSTA Services : NZSTA provides a number of services to boards of trustees and school leaders to assist in their governance and management roles, see the list below for information on what is available to help you on:
Trustee Elections 2010 : Boards are well underway in planning for the elections. A reminder to those who have not yet set the date the default date is 11 May 2010. If you have not advised us yet who your returning officer is please do so online so we can provide support and access to resources (the 2010 RO Handbook is in the mail to you now).
Employment Agreements Must be in Writing : A reminder that every employee must have a written employment agreement. It can be either an individual employment agreement (IEA) or a collective agreement (CA). Check here for process to follow and the appropriate templates/forms.
Payroll and start of the year : With the start of the new school year Payroll needs the updated information from each school to correctly pay the boards’ employees. Most schools have returned their Start of the Year forms now (which were due on 8 January 2010), which is a very important step in making sure all staff receive their pay in time. However it seems some schools have provided the wrong or incomplete information. It is the employers’ obligation to ensure staff receive the correct pay, so please check that your draft SUE report which you should receive today has produced your expected outcome. Please note late data (received after 5pm on Monday 1st February) will be processed in pay period 1824, otherwise boards may need to arrange a manual payment.
Health and Safety : 2009 saw some unfortunate cases where serious harm or death occurred. It is timely for all boards to have their health and safety processes assessed to ensure that they are up to date, appropriate for your environment and all hazards identified. Remember it is not just student and employee safety that must be considered, it includes all those coming on site. You can find more information on this on our website.
Codes of Conduct : Interest has once more been renewed in this matter. Late last year we had the State Services Commissioner reviewing whether he needed to introduce one for boards. We believe that would be unnecessary if boards themselves take on the responsibility, which a number already have, of ensuring that there is clarity of expectations you have of all your employees and they should have of you. Particularly on matters such as conflicts of interest and appropriate behaviour. The resource material is on our website. We expect to have further discussions with the Commissioner later in the year.
Collective Agreement Negotiations : The proposed settlement of the Support Staff Collective Agreement (CA) is currently out with union members for a postal ballot, we expect to hear the results in the next few weeks. A separate memo will go out to boards on this. The Caretakers and Cleaner CA, the Groundstaff CA and the KRCA are still in negotiations. Please note that until settlements are ratified, a new CA signed and you are formally advised then the old CA will apply for new and existing employees.
Cleaning Contracts : Receiving a few queries about the process when changing contractors, contracting out or cancelling contracts. The requirements of the Employment Relations Act are such that this can be a potential minefield for Boards making these sort of changes and it is important that you contact your NZSTA Industrial Relations Adviser if you are considering making any changes so you understand the potential financial or personnel implications. Government is presently considering changes which may alleviate some of the difficulties being encountered.
Banking Staffing : Time period for balancing for 2009 – you will be advised shortly on this process by the Ministry. The banking staffing recovery rate for the 2009 year (to be used for recoveries made in 2010 for 2009) has been set at $61,500.
Staffing Entitlements for year one and two teachers : Remember, the sooner you apply for these beginning teacher time allowances, the sooner they will appear on your staffing entitlement notice and the easier it will be to manage your banking staffing. The appropriate forms to complete can be found on the Ministry website.
Teacher Registration : Whilst the legislation has yet to be passed we can expect that the data matching between payroll and the Teachers Council will occur this year. We are still coming across instance where a teacher or principal has “forgot” to re-register. Timely to do the annual check of all of the teacher’s/principal’s registration status (you can check on the NZTC website).
Funding, Staffing and Allowances Handbook Resourcing Handbook : The Ministry has decided it will no longer produce the handbook in hard copy. In future you will need to access or download this information online. Note resources regarding payroll matters are now on the Ministry Payroll Site.