NZSTA - 2010-12

NZSTA new website has been launched: This month NZSTA launched our new look website. Access to membership areas will also change soon. Log-in details will be sent separately to NZSTA members.

Training and Professional Development for Trustees: A number of programmes are provided through the NZSTA professional development team. The Ministry of Education also provides training and support for boards of trustees including online webinar. Make sure you get the benefit of these.

Negotiation of Collective Agreements: Boards will have received a number of confidential memo’s recently on where matters are at. But a reminder that unless advised otherwise all expired collectives continue to be applied whilst bargaining is underway. Continue to use our templates.

A Vision for the Teaching Profession: Just a reminder (see Memo 2010/8) that the period for feedback closes on 6 August 2010. In preparation for the NZSTA submission we would appreciate hearing from a board perspective your views (you can make your views known to us direct using our online survey). Or send us a copy of your submissions (fax to 04 473 4706).

Submissions on Proposed Changes to the Education Act: We outlined the changes proposed in the Education Amendment Bill (No 2) in memo 2010/9. Submissions close 6 August 2010. In preparation for the NZSTA submission we would appreciate hearing from a board perspective your views email mhall@nzsta.org.nz. Or send us a copy of your submissions (email or fax 04 473 4706).

Support Staff Workforce Strategy: The joint report is now available. Phase Two of the project will now proceed, and more information will be sought about the support staff workforce before developing policy and strategy recommendations. More information will be sought on the nature of support staff, what they do, and how they are managed and supported within schools. From this, the Group will be able to identify areas where some well-founded strategies and policies could be developed to ensure that school productivity – ‘collectively making resources count’ – is enhanced.

Teacher Registration: Just to reiterate our early advice that there must be a process in your school for ensuring that those employed as teachers have the appropriate registration or authority to teach. The Teachers Council and MoE are currently undertaking a data matching exercise. We understand as a first step after that those who are currently paid as teachers but either do not have a current teacher registration or authority from the Teachers Council will be written too. If there is no satisfactory reason given by the individual then the Teachers Council will then seek from the relevant board of trustees/principal information on the current employment status of the individuals concerned. Further advice from NZSTA will be provided at that time.

Statutory Declaration: The Federation of the Justices of the Peace are concerned that a number of schools are putting ‘Statutory Declaration’… on their enrolment forms, and then using wording that was not correct. If your board is considering requesting any person to sign a statutory declaration for any reason the Ministry has been asked by the Federation to remind boards that a statutory declaration must be in a specific form set out in the Oaths and Declarations Act 1957. The NZSTA Helpdesk (0800 STAhelp) can provide your board with specific advice if required.

The Ministry have also advised that they are aware that some boards use a statutory declaration when determining “genuineness” in relation to a student's usual place of residence for enrolment purposes. The Ministry advice is that they do not expect that a statutory declarations need to be used on a regular basis for this purpose. For further information regarding "genuineness" please see the "Living in the Home Zone" section of the Guidelines for Development and Operation of Enrolment Schemes.

Reminder on Fixed Terms Agreements: Please ensure you have the correct process in place when employing staff on fixed term agreements. Getting it wrong can be costly and the insurers have made it plain that if a dispute arises over the employment status and the documentation and processes are deficient then that places your liability cover at risk. Get advice from your local NZSTA adviser and use our templates

NZCER Survey: NZSTA strongly supports this year’s NZCER national primary and intermediate school survey, which went out to a 10% representative sample of schools at the end of the first week in Term 3. We encourage the chair from each school getting the survey to complete it and pass on a second survey to another parent trustee on the board to get as wide a perspective as possible. These national surveys have been undertaken by NZCER since 1989. They find out what is happening in our schools, and the views of trustees, parents, principals, and teachers. This provides groups such as NZSTA with reliable feedback on a wide variety of issues, which helps inform NZSTA work, and its delivery of services to its member boards. The due date for returning the survey is the 17th August.

Board Elections - 30% of funding: Those schools that held a voting election (where there were more candidates than positions available on the board) then the board will be paid its 30% of election funding in late August 2010. This should come through automatically, if you do not receive your funding by the beginning of September then contact Ministry of Education Resourcing Contact Centre on 04 463 8383 or resourcing@minedu.govt.nz.

Student Trustee Election: Boards of state and state integrated schools with students above Year 9 must hold an annual student trustee election in September each year (unless an approved alternative constitution under s105A of the Education Act 1989 provides otherwise). Common Election Date: If you haven’t already done this we strongly urge your Board to adopt Friday 17th September 2010 as voting day (the day the poll closes). Details of process are here.

Colin Davies