Sweeping changes proposed for special education

By

Gary Zadkovich

DET plans to abolish current support teacher positions and replace them with school learning support coordinator positions with a broader range of duties.

Federation has been consulted by Department of Education and Training (DET) officers about proposed changes to the way special education support is to be delivered in regular schools.

On May 7, DET presented a PowerPoint summary of a plan to abolish current support teacher positions and replace them with school learning support coordinator (SLSC) positions. At another briefing on 20 May, DET provided further information that confirmed this intention.

Also presented was a proposal to change the way Learning Assistance Program (LAP) funding allocations are made for students with autism and mental health disorders. Instead of allocating funding according to diagnosed needs, DET is proposing to provide funding on the incidence across society of autism and mental health disorders.

Federation Executive considered these proposals on May 26 and voted to oppose any changes that lead to a diminution in direct educational provision for students with learning difficulties, disabilities and behavioural disorders.

The union also demanded that the existing LAP allocations and all existing programs be maintained for a further 12 months until wide consultation, evaluation of programs and a review are conducted.

Background

With additional funding from last year's mini-budget, DET established 80 SLSC positions spread across 265 schools. These positions have only been in operation since term 1. No special education qualifications or experience are required for appointment as a SLSC.

Reports from across the state indicate great variation in the implementation of these new positions. While still at what former Education Minister John Della Bosca would call the "suck it and see" stage, DET is already proposing to abolish more than 1800 support teacher positions and replace them with these SLSC positions from the start of 2010.

The role statement for SLSC positions broadens the duties to include coordinating interagency support from government and non-government services, providing advice on how to effectively work in partnership with families, and facilitating specialist professional development across schools. These duties obviously take support teachers away from directly teaching students with learning difficulties and special needs.

When asked about the difference between the support teacher learning assistance (STLA) and SLSC in her area, one teacher reported to her Federation Organiser that "one teaches students and the other one doesn't".

This expanded role statement should be considered in the context of the significant re-allocation of work from the Department of Community Services (DOCS). In changes designed to reduce the pressure on DOCS, only significant child protection matters are to be directly notified to DOCS officers. Less significant matters will now be handled within each government department, including DET which is establishing a Child Well-Being unit for this purpose.

In separate meetings with Ministry of Education and Training staff and Community Services Minister Linda Burney, Federation expressed serious concerns about the shifting of workload from DOCS to schools, without additional resourcing and staffing being provided. Federation specifically argued that already over-worked and highly-pressured principals and executives should not have to pick up the additional work no longer performed by DOCS.

The role statement for the newly created SLSCs should be regarded in light of this development. It is obvious that an expanded, more generic 'coordinator' role could be saddled with this DOCS related work.

Minister's intervention sought

Federation contacted Education Minister Verity Firth's office on June 2 to explain the union's concerns with the proposed changes and called for a year's extension of the timeline for review, evaluation and consultation. This would involve continuing existing LAP allocations beyond the current three year cycle until the end of 2010. It would allow for a full year's experience with the newly created SLSC positions, before they are evaluated. It would also provide sufficient time for further investigation and research on issues surrounding a change in the methodology for allocating LAP funds.

Despite initial hope that this would occur, DET sent a letter to Federation on June 12 confirming that the existing timeline for consultation would remain. This means proposed changes would be implemented from the start of 2010.

On June 18 Federation faxed schools about the proposed changes.

DET's response

Director-General Michael Coutts-Trotter confirmed Federation's analysis in an email to teachers on June 19. He confirmed the timeline for any changes: "We're evaluating that program this year to see whether to expand it in 2010."

He confirmed Federation's analysis of the changed role: "School Learning Support Coordinators [will] provide direct assistance to regular classroom teachers as they respond to students with complex additional learning needs." Note how the role has shifted from an STLA actually teaching students to "supporting the regular classroom teacher" to do this.

He also confirms the intention is to create a new model: "Reforming a number of existing and diverse special education provisions and implementing a single specialist provision..."

The Director-General said SLSCs are being "provided with over 110 hours of specialist training", but he does not say that it is an on-line package purchased from the United Kingdom. Federation has been informed that most of this training is to be completed by SLSCs in their own time.

More than 1800 teachers whose current positions are in line for abolition will find little reassurance in the Director-General's concluding statement that the changes are only an "if" at this stage.

Similarly, guarantees that no teacher will lose their job are cold comfort when the substantive teacher position currently held is unilaterally reclassified into something else.

Media debate

When the issue broke in the media on June 21, Minister Firth declared her anger at Federation's alleged misrepresentation of the issue. She said no positions would be axed and said that the Government was evaluating whether the SLSC initiative should be expanded.

Federation stands by its statements on the matter.

Although Federation wrote to DET on May 21 to seek further details in writing, no satisfactory response has been received.

On June 22, Federation lodged a dispute notification with the NSW Industrial Relations Commission. It is hoped that as a consequence, DET is obliged to provide comprehensive details of any proposed changes.

Members are assured that Federation will continue to campaign, not only to maintain the current level of direct teaching support for students with special needs in regular schools, but to increase the number of support teacher positions across the system.

Gary Zadkovich is Deputy President.

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On the front line of special education

Teachers angry at support changes

For further information

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