IPPN

E-scéal 19: Tacaíocht 5: When is Enough really Enough?

Published: 01 October 2003

IPPN as a professional association, is seriously concerned about the Health, Safety and Welfare of it's members in light of the continuous increase in workload and expansion of role- responsibility, in particular as they relate to Teaching Principals. While IPPN has no remit on matters pertaining to salary and conditions, we hear members in each county network continuously expressing a deep frustration with the incremental growth in workload and responsibility and the corresponding decline in the prospect of meaningful reward. The role of our trade union is to improve our salaries and working conditions. IPPN will continue to make the INTO aware of the strong views and feelings of school leaders. 12 years ago the INTO stated that ....

'any proposal to redefine or expand the role of principal teachers should only be introduced by agreement between the interests concerned',
Page 71, The Role of Principal Teacher - A Review. 1991

Does the current reality reflect this?

"DES circulars continue to be monitored for workload implications on principals",
Forum Bulletin, Issue 7, September 2003.

Statements such as these are greeted with disbelief and scepticism. Given that it is two years since the last INTO Principals' Consultative Conference - which was pre-Benchmarking - it is incredible that the issues of salary, conditions & workload fail to feature on the agenda for this weekend's conference in Dundalk! In order to have credibility for Principals, the INTO must address the following key core union issues for school leaders:

A separate salary scale for principals and deputy principals (on par with 2nd level) with appropriate differentials to facilitate a progressive career/promotion pay path
The inclusion of all teaching and non-teaching staff as the basis for
- appointment of administrative principals
- calculation of teaching principals'release days
- calculation of principals'allowances (until separate salary scale implementation)
A properly substituted release structure for all teaching principals
Release time for deputy principals of larger schools on a pro-rata basis
An agreed rate of overtime pay for professional work outside of school hours
An agreed system for the recoupment of work related expenses
A dignified 'step-down' facility for long-serving principals without inequitable loss of benefits / seniority

Enough is Enough! ...or is it? The much heralded 'Enough is Enough' campaign was launched after the Benchmarking fiasco. This 'campaign' has achieved nothing significant to date other than to reinforce principals' perception that the Benchmarking / Sustaining Progress deals were fought half-heartedly for school leaders. The report of the Public Service Benchmarking Body illustrated many glaring anomalies re principal salaries (Cf. below). [It is worth noting that principal teachers are the only managerial grade within the entire public sector that is placed on the same salary scale (plus allowance) as the personnel whom they manage]. The Education Act, 1998 is unambiguous in where it places the principal teacher in a management function - positioned clearly between the Board of Management and the staff of the school. This is also defined and expanded upon in Defining the Role of the Primary Principal in Ireland, HayGroup Management Consultants, 2003. The failure to place principal teachers on a proper and separate salary scale is a challenging and major frustration for principals; and it is also a discouragement to younger teachers who should be viewing principalship as an attractive promotion / career enhancement. School leaders cannot any longer tolerate the mindset that considers principalship merely a post of responsibility with a slightly bigger allowance than other posts of responsibility - depending on the size of the school.
The table below illustrates the serious and unsatisfactory outcomes of the last "Job Evaluation" prepared for the Benchmarking process.

Key anomalies that must be addressed

A teaching principal (1-5 Teachers) will receive an annual allowance of €7,544. This is less than the allowance received by a deputy principal (€7,919) in a 14+ teacher school.
A teaching principal (1-5 Teachers) will earn a mere €12 per week (before Tax) more than an assistant principal (formerly 'A Post') in a 14+ teacher school.
Approximately 75% of all principals (i.e. teaching principals) will receive a maximum allowance of €8,454 which is less than that received by a deputy principal (€9,273) in a 17+ teacher school!
A primary principal (27-30 Teachers) will receive an allowance of €20,606 whereas his/her 2nd level colleague with the same number of teachers is allowed €25,542. The disparity between primary and 2nd level principal allowances continues to widen in larger schools.
The combined post-holder allowances greatly outstrip those of the principal.

We read in the latest Forum bulletin that "the CEC has commissioned a job evaluation of principals and deputy principals of primary schools as part of the preparation for a further benchmarking exercise next year". This time we would expect that the INTO would adopt IPPN's valuable research: The Value of Leadership?, 2001 and The HayGroup Report 2003: Defining the Role of the Primary Principal in Ireland.

When exactly does 'Enough' really mean 'Enough'? In recent years the phenomenon of principals being unable to take and enjoy holidays without interruption has become all too familiar. The DES regularly communicates with principals in July and August by telephone and by mail with the expectation that we are attending school business whilst the rest of the staff is on holiday. The annual crises relating to the recruitment of staff, the acquisition of resources for children with special needs and additional accommodation almost inevitably require principals to sacrifice significant amounts of time out of their school holidays. Has there been some new agreement that has changed the contract of a principal teacher?

Responsibility & Workload Continues to Expand While Legislation, Policy Initiatives & Programmes have individually brought many praiseworthy benefits to children, teachers and parents in the Primary Education Sector, collectively they have led to major additional workload and responsibility for Principals. These developments have fundamentally changed how schools operate and have taken place without any dedicated consultation with the people directly involved.
Among these developments are:

Boards of Management - Consequential Workload
Bullying Prevention Guidelines
Career Breaks
Carers Leave
Case Conferences
Children First Guidelines - Designated Liaison Person (DLP)
Data Protection Act
Education & Welfare Act
Education Act
Enrolment Appeals under Section 29 of the Education Act
Equal Status Act
External Supervisors replacing teachers who 'opt out' of supervision
Foreign Language pilot project
Health & Safety Act
In-School Management
Integration of Children from Overseas / Asylum Seekers
Integration of Children with Special Education Needs
IT 2000
Job Sharing
Learning Support Guidelines
Multiple Schemes to Alleviate Educational Disadvantage
Parental Leave
Payment for Supervision
Psychological & other Professional Services
Resource Teaching Provision and Organisation
Revised Curriculum Implementation
School Development Planning
Special Needs Assistants & Classroom Assistants
Teacher Exchange
Transport & Bus Escorts for Children with Special Education Needs
Travelling expenses for Shared Resource, Learning Support & HSL Teachers.

A Question of Health, Safety & Welfare

In 1996 there was an average of 5.9 teachers applying for every vacant principalship. In 2002 this figure had dropped to 2.9 applicants per vacancy! The morale of principal teachers is waning under the growing stress associated with impossible workload and seemingly infinite responsibilities. Unless meaningful relief measures are provided for principals in addition to a substantial increase in remuneration, not only will the number of teachers applying for principalship continue to diminish but also growing numbers of existing principals will seek to relinquish their roles in the interest of their personal health, safety and welfare. We ask all school leaders to actively raise these crucial issues at their branch and fora meetings, and at seminars and conferences. Serving the needs of leadership at this time of great change will actually stand to the long-term benefit of the entire teaching profession.