CARCOAR Public School P&C president Nicky Parker says she feels sorry for the incoming principal of the school who is walking into “a hornet’s nest”.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Her comments come after about 100 people rallied at the school yesterday to show their support for outgoing relieving principal Chris Smith.
Ms Smith has been in the position for seven years but only on a temporary basis.
Ms Parker said the community was outraged Mrs Smith never had an opportunity to apply for the job given she was in the position for so long and had pulled the school up from the brink of closure.
“Keep local jobs in local schools,” she said.
“We’re not broken, we don’t need fixing.
“The community is right behind this.”
The school community will hold another rally this evening where they expect member for Bathurst and Minister for Local Government Paul Toole to attend briefly.
A Department of Education and Communities spokesman said the department had a statewide staffing process designed to ensure that every school, regardless of location, was “staffed with highly qualified teachers and principals”.
“The position of principal at Carcoar Public School has been filled according to the Department of Education and Communities staffing procedures,” he said.
However, Mrs Parker argues that is not the case, and according to the government’s Local School Local Decisions roll out, which is available online, schools can choose how to fill every second vacancy.
She said the previous principal’s position was filled as the result of a forced transfer, therefore the school should choose how to fill this position.
NSW Teachers Federation country organiser John Pratt said that as far as he was aware the position had been filled according to department policy.
He said he was not sure why Ms Smith was in the position on a temporary capacity for so long but suspected it might have been because of low enrolment numbers.
“It’s within the staffing agreement that you don’t approve someone’s permanency in the school if enrolment numbers are expected to change and therefore staff numbers are expected to decrease,” Mr Pratt said.
According to the department, the school had eight students in 2008, 11 in 2009 and 2010 and 17 in 2011. But in 2012 numbers dropped to 10 students and then nine in 2013 and 10 in 2014. It is expected there will be 14 students in 2015.
Mrs Parkers said Mrs Smith was part of the “heart and soul” of the school and was the best person for the job.
Meanwhile, in Forbes, the Corinella Public School community has been told the school will close at the end of the 2014 school year.
The department spokesman said the anticipated enrolment for the next three years was zero.
The Central Western Daily understands Corinella principal Beverley Cartwright will take on the role at Carcoar.
nicole.kuter@fairaxmedia.com.au
