Parents say extra pupil-free days in the ACT public school teachers' pay deal will be difficult to manage while teachers in Catholic and independent schools can expect a significant boost to their salaries.
The Australian Education Union ACT branch endorsed the government's latest pay offer this week, which will increase a first-year teacher's salary to $91,396 by the end of 2025.
The deal also includes additional pupil-free days on the first days of terms 2, 3 and 4 from 2024 which are to be used for professional development and planning.
ACT Council of Parents & Citizens Associations president Alison Elliott said some parents would find it difficult to find childcare on the additional pupil free days.
"We welcome this pay offer and the recognition it provides for the incredibly important job teachers do and the position they hold in our community," Ms Elliott said.
"The pupil-free days are unlikely to be popular and will be difficult for some parents. But we are hopeful that they will provide the time teachers need to invest in further learning and professional development, along with planning to cater for student needs."
Independent Education Union NSW/ACT branch secretary Mark Northam said the deal for ACT public school teachers had set a new benchmark for teachers' pay and conditions that Catholic and independent schools would eventually follow.
"We're in discussions as we speak with Catholic systemic employers and the outcomes achieved by ACT government teachers, they will be matched in the Catholic sector. We've already got understandings about that," he said.
"So over the course of time, it won't take that much time, those increases will flow on to Catholic systemic teachers."
Mr Northam said Catholic systemic schools had a higher increase in their recurrent funding than expected this year so he believed they would have the capacity to increase teacher salaries.
He said the ACT public school teachers' deal would encourage people to join the profession, noting that it takes four years for a teacher to complete an undergraduate teaching degree.
"It will instil confidence in students undertaking teacher training in various Canberra universities, and more importantly, it will retain teachers in ACT government schools," he said.
"So the impact of the decision will be considerable and it's a positive outcome. It's a recognition that the teacher shortage crisis is being addressed comprehensively within the ACT."
Mr Northam said the union was particularly pursuing more classroom release time for early career teachers across the 11 Catholic diocese involved in negotiations.
"They must have timetabled, regular, ongoing release to ensure that their immersion into the profession is as good as what it possibly can be, and that the wealth of expertise and knowledge that the more experienced colleagues have can be provided to them in a very professional manner and not on an ad hoc basis," he said.
Centre for Independent Studies education policy program director Glenn Fahey said addressing the teacher shortage was less about improving salaries and more about improving the workload and supporting early career teachers.
"Money alone or dedicating extra hours for planning may miss the mark for early career teachers," Mr Fahey said.
"It may help but the best way to support burnout for early career teachers is to provide systematic support for early career growth."
He said there was evidence around the world that an embedded coaching model to scaffold a teacher's development in their early years on the job was beneficial, but this was not consistently found across Australian school systems.
"The investment in teachers is one of the best investments that can be made," he said.
"But it's not clear that salaries alone are guaranteed to improve student outcomes."
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