Teachers say they're not going anywhere, after former education minister Adrian Piccoli said critics of Murrumbidgee Regional High's merger should quit their jobs and leave town.
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Griffith Teachers Federation members passed four motions, the first one being a collective condemnation of Mr Piccoli's comments.
"As members of the Griffith community, we find it extremely offensive that Mr Piccoli would encourage us to leave town in such a flippant, irresponsible manner," the motion reads.
"We are not in the business of giving up and quitting when things get tough."
Mr Piccoli doubled down on his comments, insisting that the merger was done for the greater good of the school.
"People don't like change, I get it," Mr Piccoli said.
"The resistance has come from teachers who say 'I'm not changing anything' - that's who my comments are directed at."
Mr Piccoli insisted the merger would improve student outcomes, "foster collaboration" between staff at the two sites, and offer more subject options.
However the teachers federation say a "significant majority" of their members think the one-school two-sites model is "inferior to every other model", based on an internal survey.
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The Griffith teachers also put forward a motion calling for another independent review of the merger to be open to the public.
A NSW Department of Education spokesman said an independent review is in fact underway at the University of NSW.
"Research for the review includes a number of interviews and focus groups with the executive principal, senior leadership team, teachers, school administration and support staff, students and parents," the spokesman said.
"The NSW Teachers Federation were also included in the tender process of the independent review."
However the Griffith federation members have questioned the transparency and independence of the review done by UNSW, where Mr Piccoli is employed as director of the Gonski Institute.
The Griffith Teachers Federation members said they would continue lobbying for teacher incentives, which they claim is necessary to fill long-held job vacancies at the school.
They gave a list of examples, such as home economics which has been vacant for seven months, PD/H/PE for four months, and special education for three months.
The full motion
A. Members of the NSWTF MRHS condemn the statements made by former MP Adrian Piccoli in the Area News, dated 21/8/19. We are dedicated professionals who are committed to delivering the best possible educational outcomes for our students. As members of the Griffith community, we find it extremely offensive that Mr Piccoli would encourage us to leave town in such a flippant, irresponsible manner. At MRHS, we teach our students the values of commitment and dedication and as a staff, we like to lead by example and demonstrate these values ourselves. We are not in the business of giving up and quitting when things get tough. At the moment, we are going through some tough times. The school is not appropriately staffed due to ongoing teacher vacancies. For example, Home Economics has been vacant for seven months, PD/H/PE for four months and Special Education for three months. Our school is under resourced and we are experiencing extreme difficulty attracting teachers trained in required specialist areas. The Department is yet to provide teachers with any time or resources to facilitate the merge. It is clear that Mr Piccoli is unaware of what is happening at MRHS' chalk face.
B. After assessing the effects of the merger on students and teachers via an internal survey, a significant majority of Teaching Professionals feel that the one High School on two sites model is inferior to every other model including the college model of Secondary Education. We, the teachers of Murrumbidgee Regional High School call for an independent review of the merge that is open to the public.
C. We appreciate the support that the Griffith community has given us (and continues to give) and we will continue to try our best to support Griffith's youth but cannot and will not compromise on the education of our students. Unless the Department of Education and State Government lift incentives to attract and retain teachers to Griffith, the school will never reach its full potential.
D. This motion, when passed, shall be sent to our local member, Helen Dalton and The Area News.