Riverina teachers are preparing for a rally this week, calling on the government to address what they deem as worsening staff shortages.
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Tomorrow, teacher representatives from across the Wagga electorate will meet with the president of the NSW Teachers Federation (NSWTF) for a rally down Baylis Street.
The action is part of a broader union movement to tell the state government it has one month to engage in negotiations to address "the teacher shortage and its cause, unsustainable workloads and uncompetitive salaries".
Local teacher Kristil-Rae Mobbs said the rally, taking place at 8am, is to draw attention to the "complete lack of teachers" and the "casual shortage" without further impacting students and staff during term 1, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ms Mobbs said the pandemic has only highlighted, rather than caused, workforce shortages. "COVID has made it trickier to get staff, but we didn't have a huge amount of casuals to call on anyway," she said.
Having been a teacher for 18 years, Ms Mobbs said she has witnessed a significant decline in the number of available casuals.
Last week and this week, she said a program used to display casual teachers available for work was empty.
"At the start of the year [we] normally have a large casual base to call on," Ms Mobbs said.
She said the impact felt in classrooms day-to-day because of the casual shortage ranges from students being left without teachers when staff are sick, to students being taught specialised classes in high school by teachers who are trained in a different curriculum area.
"It's not just about teachers wanting more salary," Ms Mobbs said.
"Our working conditions are students' learning environments."
The local teacher also said new curriculums and reforms coming into play, partnered with changing workloads due to the pandemic, means that the current two-hour preparation time teachers get outside the classroom isn't enough.
"With the things that are [expected of] teachers, we need more time, more preparation and working conditions improved," she said.
In a statement, the NSWTF said confidential government documents predict that by 2025, teacher shortages will be in excess of 2425 vacancies.
It also said there were 37 vacant permanent teaching positions in the Wagga electorate last October.
A NSW Department of Education spokesperson said the electorate currently has 20 vacancies undergoing recruitment - a 3 per cent vacancy rate, which is in line with the state average.
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"We understand the complexity of getting teachers to regional NSW. That's why we are working on a number of initiatives to deliver a sustainable supply of quality teachers, including in critical subjects and locations, and we are on track to deliver our commitment to recruit an additional 4600 teachers over four years," the spokesperson said.
"Overall, our vacancy rates remain low for a sector of our size."
The spokesperson said the department filled almost 5000 teaching positions last year, and has appointed more than 26,000 teachers since 2017. "We are committed to ensuring a steady pipeline of teachers coming into the workforce both now and into the future, which is why we have recently released the $125 million Teacher Supply Strategy, which has a strong focus on rural and regional schools."
NSWTF president Angelo Gavrielatos said tomorrow's rally is also a chance to thank Wagga MP Joe McGirr for his support of teachers.
"[Dr McGirr] understands that teacher shortages are having a devastating impact on teachers and kids in the bush," he said.
"It is time [Premier Dominic] Perrottet and his government stopped playing games and entered into genuine negotiations to resolve the current dispute."
The Premier's office and the education minister were contacted for comment.
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