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Performance-based prickery

Monday 3 March 2008, 11:53 pm

Bridgit Gread

Categories: Education, Politics

Tags: pay, strike, teachers, TheEditor

Today’s Crikey has an interesting snippet:

I have been told that some Victorian state school principals get a percentage bonus if they can make staff savings within the school. For example, if a teacher goes on long service leave, and instead of being replaced by another teacher, they are replaced by the teachers within the school (as extras or in-lieus, which cost the school nothing), then the principal gets a percentage of the money that would have gone to hiring the teacher. My current principal apparently got a five figure bonus last year from this. It may just be Victorian Education Dept policy, or it may be a school based one, I’m not too sure.

Speaking as one of the poor (and regularly striking) underpaid teachers, I think it stinks to high heaven. That the school administration makes these decisions … based on personal profit, not educational lines, is wrong. That this is hidden from most staff is even worse. Incidentally, the feeling among many Victorian state teachers is either: a) We should be taking more comprehensive action (like the nurses last year) to achieve our goals, ie. full day strikes, but we are too bound by the old workchoices legislation. b) We should be withdrawing our support and involvement in the extra-curricular activities we do. The only way the parents can see how under pressure we are.

Teachers have been against performance-based pay for ages, saying how it’s good in theory but impractical and indefinable in practice. But this is evidence that performance-based pay is possible: just work your way up to principal, screw your colleagues over, save the department a fat wad of cash and walk away with enough for a new plasma TV and a trip to Fiji.

On another note, what should The Ed be withdrawing or withholding to give added teeth to the strike? I suggest he refuses to give out any stale Minties, lend any colour pencils and post any more Fleshlight jokes until Pike coughs up his 10 per cent.

8 Comments

krypto (Monday 3 March 2008, 11:59 pm) #

indeed, how in holy hell do you define performance in education? Isn’t that about as much incentive as any teacher would need to distribute completed test papers BEFORE an exam?
Oh and Ed. for the love of God man, I’ll have nothing left to live for without the Fleshlight schtick.
The Editor (Tuesday 4 March 2008, 7:42 am) #

How about I refuse to drink the Nescafe 43 in the staffroom (for which I pay $40 a term, by the way) so that I am a cranky, caffeine-deprived bastard who yells at kids for practically nothing? (More than I usually do, anyway.)
krypto (Tuesday 4 March 2008, 7:54 am) #

blend 43 you coffee snob!!, mine has that international roast, caterers blend no less!!
You’d have to scrape the bottom of the barrel by stooping to Riva gold or that Mexican bandito “Pablo” for a less satisfying cup of joe.
single mum of two (Tuesday 4 March 2008, 8:46 am) #

You all have nothing to whinge about - we have BLACK AND GOLD COFFEE!!!!!

You don’t know torture until you drink this stuff.

I personally would rather do recess yard duty, followed by double lunch yard than put this poison near my lips!
The Editor (Tuesday 4 March 2008, 9:08 am) #

It’s starting to sound fairly unanimous… Teachers will refuse to teach until they receive a 30% pay rise and a full time barista with coffee machine in each staffroom.

John Brumby knows it makes sense.
keri (Tuesday 4 March 2008, 9:09 am) #

Serves you all right for drinking coffee, you Lefty scumbags!

I’m so glad I never got hooked on coffee. I have enough bad habits as it is, without adding caffiene into the mix.
Magic Bellybutton (Tuesday 4 March 2008, 12:37 pm) #

What about those teachers who don’t like coffee? Will there be a drug dealer of their choice located in every staffroom so they can get their hit? Don’t just think of the caffine addicts people!
John Surname (Tuesday 4 March 2008, 12:48 pm) #

Craig.