Teachers in NSW's far west have criticised Education Minister Sarah Mitchell for not meeting with them to discuss how the teacher shortage is affecting services in the bush.
Ms Mitchell was in Broken Hill on Wednesday and Thursday to announce more than $20 million in funding to improve staff housing in remote areas.
While the promise of more accommodation was welcomed, many were left frustrated when there were no plans to hold a forum with local teachers to discuss local issues.
Two new housing units will be built in Broken Hill, and upgrades to existing sites in other parts of the state including Stuart Town, Mumbil and Girilambone will be rolled out by the government.
Ms Mitchell said housing for incoming teachers was vital during the national rental crisis.
"We know it's important that we have great teacher housing, particularly in our harder-to-staff communities and in our more remote towns," she said.
"We know that in places like Broken Hill there really is pressure when it comes to rentals, so anything that we can do to help both attract and retain teachers to regional communities is really important."
Railway Town Public School principal Liz Gleeson, who was struggling with staff shortages, hoped the news would encourage more teachers to move west.
"It's one of the first questions that we are asked when we have potential news staffing arriving," she said.
'Do not return to Broken Hill'
The NSW Teachers Federation was quick to vent their frustrations with Ms Mitchell's visit.
The union's Broken Hill officer Brett Bertalli said teachers were "quite angry" the minister travelled so far to announce housing for teachers that were not yet coming.
"Do not return to Broken Hill," he said.
"We are telling the minister, do not come back to Broken Hill, do not return … unless you're prepared to resolve the staff crisis for our children and our students and schools of Broken Hill."
He believed without an adjusted workload and a competitive salary, the profession would be less and less attractive to potential staff, especially in remote areas like Broken Hill.
"I've got two or three teachers in my area every week telling me they're going to resign because it's just become too much, they're burnt out," Mr Bertalli said.
Earlier this year local union representatives claimed a majority of teachers in the far west were working more than 60 hours a week, while about 95 per cent were working outside their subjects of expertise.
That was a claim the Ms Mitchell's office strongly rejected.
Maureen Clark worked as a teacher in Broken Hill for more than 40 years and was still heavily involved with the union.
"Any money that we can put into teacher housing is very welcome," she said.
But Ms Clark was disappointed, like many others, the minister didn't come to hear the experiences of many current and former teachers like herself.
'It was just insulting to whiz in and whiz out," she said.
"They should be communicating with the public, with the people who have elected them to the positions that they are currently holding.
"Sarah, should you ever come our way again, bring some solutions to the teacher shortage problem, along with any cheques that you may have to hand out."
Schools 'not run by union'
Ms Mitchell told the ABC the state government had put forward a pay offer for teachers.
"[The offer] was among the most generous in the country for public sector workers," she said.
"It is disappointing the Teachers Federation do not support this or our ongoing efforts to reduce teacher workloads.
"I would also politely remind union members that public schools are public and not run by the union.
"I am the Minister for Education and Early Learning and I will continue to visit schools right across NSW, including in Broken Hill, because that is a very important part of my job."
