| SSTUWA Executive: Wendy Driscoll |
 I am married with four adult children and six grand children. I have been a primary school teacher and a union member for thirty three years. I’ve taught in the city, wheat belt, South West, desert and Midwest. During the past nine years I have been union representative for Dongara District High School. For the past two years I have been a member of the Executive of the State School Teachers Union of Western Australia.In standing for election to executive I propose to help MEMBERS FIRST endeavour to achieve the following through representation of all SSTUWA members. As a practising primary school teacher, I feel that I have the current experience to represent members views at SSTUWA Executive meetings. MEMBERS FIRST was instrumental in gaining 22% wage increase for teachers and administrators in the2008 EBA. We encouraged members to refuse to accept the poorer offer of around 15% and as a result the 22% was achieved. Without MEMBERS FIRST Executive this would not have eventuated. Public education in W.A. is in crisis, experiencing loss of many students to the private sector due to inadequate resourcing of public schools. MEMBERS FIRST will attempt to have W.A. and Federal Governments budgets increased to adequately overcome these problems. Violence in schools is the major cause of teacher loss from our profession. MEMBERS FIRST will endeavour to have violence in schools properly addressed by the Department of Education and Training, so that we can retain our teachers in the public system. I believe it is imperative that we have qualified teachers and properly trained education assistants working with disruptive students until their behaviour is such that they be allowed back into mainstream classes. Without disruptive students teachers would have more time for teaching instead of spending time disciplining students. Job satisfaction could be returned to teaching thus retaining people in the profession. Teachers’ workload needs to be addressed and MEMBERS FIRST will attempt to have more clerical staff employed to reduce the huge paperwork burden placed upon teachers. The extra paperwork is due to new initiatives in reporting, performance management, I.E.P.s, dealing with inclusive students, excursions, camps and school development plans. Reducing paperwork would give teachers more time to actually teach. Primary teachers need to have D.O.T.T. time increased to equal that of secondary and pre-primary teachers. Country incentives need to be real; to cover the increased cost of living, to attract people to the country, and to keep people in the country. The transfer system needs to be fair and compassionate. MEMBERS FIRST will attempt to achieve these proposals through the development of a new and fairer Socio-Economic-Index on which Country Teaching Program allowances are determined. When elected, MEMBERS FIRST, through proper consultation, will put you, the members first. |