Tomorrow, public school educators across the ACT will take a full-day stop-work action for the first time in more than 15 years.
No educator takes that action lightly.
Teachers and school assistants enter this profession because we believe in public education and the opportunities it creates for young people. Every day, we work to ensure students can learn, grow and succeed, regardless of their background or circumstances.
Public education is one of the greatest forces for good in our society. It is the greatest equaliser we have. Public schools open doors, create opportunities and help ensure that a child's future is shaped by their potential rather than their postcode, family circumstances or parents' income.
Yet right now the ACT public school system is exacerbating inequity. It is failing some students, often those with the greatest need. And it is failing the educators who, through their sheer professionalism and goodwill, are holding together a system in crisis.
Goodwill cannot sustain a system indefinitely. This is exactly why educators are taking action now.
We're taking action to stand up for our students because the government is choosing not to.
We have been bargaining for the best part of a year with a government that only chooses to start seriously engaging with our claims when we activate stop-work action.
Our claims are reasonable, not radical. Our claims are the bare minimum families should expect from a public school system.
We're asking for schools to be properly staffed so students are safe and receive the learning they deserve. We want to put an end to constant splitting, combining and cancelling classes which disrupts student learning. We need the extra resources that some students require to succeed.
A strength of public education is that every student is welcome. No one will be turned away. Every student has the right to succeed.
That is the commitment that a public education system provides. With that commitment comes a responsibility to ensure that every student enrolled in an ACT public school can access the support they need to succeed. Success is not measured uniformly; it will look different for different students.
For some, it will be going on to further study at university or TAFE, for others it's getting job ready. For many students, school is a safe space, a refuge, a place of care and kindness, a sanctuary in which it is possible to imagine a better future.
As proud public educators we have always understood our obligations and given our all to support students succeeding. We need the government to accept its responsibility for resourcing the public education system so we can do our jobs.
The challenges facing schools today are far greater than they were a decade ago.
Educators are supporting students with increasingly complex learning, behavioural and wellbeing needs while also navigating growing administrative requirements. Schools are being asked to do more than ever before but staffing and resources have not kept pace.
Teachers, school leaders, school psychologists, school assistants and other support staff are standing together to demand a better future for our students.
The ACT government's recent Public School System Resourcing Review states that public schools are operating under significant workforce and funding pressures. It recognises that schools are dealing with increasing complexity while trying to meet growing expectations with limited resources. It also highlights concerns about staffing, workload, and the capacity of schools to provide the support students need. It calls out an education system that is ineffectively using its resources and exacerbating inequity.
This review put into writing what school communities already know: the current system is under strain and requires significant investment and reform.
The review's recommendations largely mirror our enterprise bargaining claims. The government has accepted, in full or in principle, all the review's 25 recommendations.
This is what this dispute is about. This is why thousands of educators are giving up a full day's pay on Thursday.
We are asking the ACT government to address the challenges facing public education. We want assurances that schools will have enough teachers, school assistants and support staff. With school staffing guarantees, we can create workloads that are sustainable and give students access to the support they need to succeed.
For months, educators have raised these issues through bargaining. We have put forward practical proposals aimed at improving staffing, retention and workload. Insufficient progress has been made on the issues that matter most.
Thursday's strike is a message that the status quo cannot continue.
Educators do not want to disrupt learning. But we also know that failing to act now will only allow these problems to deepen. Students deserve better than overcrowded classrooms, chronic staff shortages and a workforce stretched beyond its limits.
The resourcing review confirms the pressures facing public schools are real. Educators have been sounding the alarm for years. Now is the time to listen and act.
We are proud public educators who refuse to absorb further erosion of the resources our students deserve. The ACT public school system has a proud history. It deserves investment, respect, and a workforce that is properly supported to do its job well.
Tomorrow, educators will stand together because we believe in public education and because we know every student deserves a school system resourced to help them succeed.
