Page 518 - Week 02 - Tuesday, 8 March 2011
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with the discontinuation of three preschools, in McKellar, Rivett and the Causeway, and seven primary schools, in Flynn, Hall, Melrose, Mount Neighbour, Rivett, Tharwa and Weston. And by 2007, 20 schools were closed and 15 communities were affected.
Subsequent to this, the School closures and reform of the ACT education system 2006 report found government processes to be wanting. Here is a small sample: consultation sometimes seemed to be conducted to satisfy the process, there was no real intention to take the community’s opinion into consideration in decision making and the government’s response was not satisfactory. In true ACT Labor-Greens alliance fashion, both parties rammed through an amendment bill which gave the appearance of rigorous processes but which, where it really mattered, was weak on guaranteeing to ACT communities that future school closures should only happen if absolutely necessary.
More recently, recall also last year’s efficiency dividend cuts executed by Minister Barr on our public school system. What was Minister Barr’s interpretation of his party’s policy platform for, and I quote again, “responsible and fair financial management” whereby “ACT finances will be employed to ensure a high level of service provision, protection and assistance for the disadvantaged”? He chose to cut support services to the members of our school community that needed the most support and he did not consult the various school communities affected by this.
Here are some of the initially proposed areas for the chopping-block: two early intervention preschool support teachers, two support teachers for early childhood English as a second language program, one early childhood support teacher for behavioural management, four school counsellor position vacancies not filled, reclassification of student management consultants and eight remaining positions to be relocated to schools, two hearing support positions from a head count of 10.3 full-time equivalent teacher positions, one of four vision support teachers, a post schools options teacher position to be discontinued, two disability support officers discontinued, five classroom teacher positions and one SLC position in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander literacy and numeracy program discontinued, and one SLC English as a second language position.
When concerned parents of visually impaired students voiced their concern about their child’s possible diminished access support services in learning Braille, the government, instead of addressing these concerns, offered up the possibility that text-to-speech software would take up the slack in teaching literacy to visually impaired children. In true ACT Labor–Greens alliance again, on the day we debated these cuts Ms Hunter, in front of the affected parents, sided with the government. A farcical comedy? You can put good money on it. To quote a disgruntled parent who attended this debate, “monkey and organ-grinder politics”.
Concurrently, the minister for disability was not even aware of the specifics of her department’s involvement in these support service cuts to students with disabilities and could merely state:
I cannot really respond other than to give you in good faith an answer saying that DHCS and DET are working in a very strong partnership.
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