Primary Principals Accept Pay Rise

Primary Principals Accept Pay Rise

Wellington –Primary principals throughout the country have voted to accept a pay rise averaging eight percent.

The increase was negotiated by their union, NZEI Te Riu Roa. Settlement was reached with the Ministry of Education and the School Trustees Association in late July after five weeks of negotiations.

Since then more than 60 meetings have been held throughout the country at which principals discussed the offer before voting on it. The vote was overwhelmingly in favour of accepting the offer.

Principals are paid according to the size of their school. The base pay for a principal of a school with up to 50 students will rise from $56,424 to $60,600. The base pay for a principal of school with 1026 to 1200 students will increase from $92,013 to $96,614.

2026 primary principals will be getting the pay rise which will be backdated to July.

Their new collective agreement provides. An average pay increase of 8% for primary principals An average pay increase of 13% for principals of special schools. The allowance for principals of Normal Schools rises from $1636 a year to $2000.

These schools work with Colleges of Education in training students to become teachers. The new collective agreement will run for nine months from August 1 to April 30, 2004. Establishment of a working party on professional growth for principals involving representatives from NZEI Te Riu Roa, the Ministry of Education and the New Zealand School Trustees Association (NZSTA).

It will look at how to develop the professional skills principals need to be effective leaders of their schools as well as the initiatives required to support professional growth such as paid study leave and sabbatical leave. It will also examine principals’ workload.

The working party will produce a report with recommendations to the Minister of Education by March next year. Establishment of a working party to look at how principals are appointed, involving NZEI Te Riu Roa, the Ministry of Education and NZSTA.

It will develop guidelines for the hiring of principals that follow a best practice process. The working party will deliver a report and recommendations to the Minister of Education no later than December 1 this year.

Agreement from 2004 that, when schools are merged, the position of principal for the new school will be advertised. NZEI Te Riu Roa and the Ministry of Education will meet to discuss mergers that are underway to sort out an appointment process for the affected schools before the mergers take place next year.

“I’m pleased to see primary principals getting a substantial pay rise as they work extremely hard to ensure our children receive a quality education,” says NZEI Te Riu Roa National President, Bruce Adin.

“The job they do is a vitally important for the whole country as education is the key to building a country that is strong socially and economically,” says Bruce Adin.

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