- Hon David Seymour
Associate Education Minister David Seymour says proposed changes to the Education and Training Amendment Bill will ensure charter schools have more flexibility to negotiate employment agreements and are equipped with the right teaching resources.
"Cabinet has agreed to progress an amendment which means unions will not be able to initiate multi-employer collective agreement bargaining for charter school staff. Unions will still be able to engage in single employer collective agreement bargaining and charter schools will have independence to negotiate changes to employment terms and conditions relevant to their school," Mr Seymour says.
"Charter schools are all about improving outcomes for students. Flexibility is essential for this as it will drive an increase in innovation and choice within education, meeting needs and expectations of students, and increasing the quality of education.
"Multi-employer collective agreements would affect charter school sponsors' level of influence over the types of terms and conditions offered to their employees and could therefore influence the flexibility the schools can provide in teaching and other aspects of school operations.
"It is in everyone's best interests for charter school sponsors' to spend their time and resource on delivering an education that is going to make a difference for students, not negotiating new multi-employer agreements. In many cases I expect charter schools will provide more desirable employment for teachers than state schools, as they will need to compete to get the best teachers and keep them.
"Changes will also ensure charter schools have access to the same level of teaching resources as state schools. This will include access to specialist services like resource teachers and technology education.
"Parents can be assured that if they choose to enrol in a charter school, or if their current state school decides to convert to a charter school, their child's education will have the same resources available to it - but with less of the restrictions.
"One of the many advantages of charter schools is that with more freedom to innovate, teach, and design curriculum, they provide opportunities for different learning needs and styles of schools. Charter schools will create meaningful change in students' lives by providing new and more learning options for them to suit their needs."
