Two in three teachers say higher maximum salaries would encourage them to stay in the profession but some worry a plan to keep high-performing educators in the classroom will sow division.
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About 200 high-performing teachers in 52 NSW public schools will, from term three, be able to earn up to $152,000 a year from term three through new roles to recognise excellence and leverage their expertise.
That pilot will expand to 800 positions under a $100 million election promise announced by Education Minister Sarah Mitchell on Tuesday.
At the same time, Ms Mitchell's department released the results of consultation with 1267 teachers and school leaders from more than 800 schools.
Two in three teachers surveyed suggested that raising teachers' maximum salary would encourage them to stay in the profession, it said.
"Many leaders indicated they would have stayed in the classroom or would return to the classroom if such roles were available," the paper said.
But several leaders raised concerns that increasing the pay for classroom teachers may lead to fewer taking up assistant principal roles.
Others raised concerns the salary gap to standard teachers would sow division and "derail the collegiality" in staff rooms.
Those in roundtables also raised concerns about teacher supply and how to ensure middle leadership roles remained attractive.
The pilot beginning in a mix of metropolitan, regional and rural schools from July will be attached to schools but will in some cases, involve teachers working with the department or neighbouring schools.
Teachers won't be involved in the formal leadership structure of the school and won't manage people but the exact nature of their extra roles is so far vaguely defined.
The experiences of the schools in the pilot will inform the broader program.
"It's about making sure we've got a great pathway for teachers to keep people in the classroom but also acknowledge their professional expertise," Ms Mitchell told reporters on Tuesday.
Teacher pay scales are mostly based on years in the classroom, topping out at $113,000 in their seventh year.
Those accredited as highly accomplished or lead teachers earn $120,300.
While the goal was to have 10 per cent of teachers in the new pay bracket of $152,000, Ms Mitchell couldn't say when that would happen, given it was still a trial.
"This is quite a seismic, cultural shift and we need to do it right," she said.
Labor slammed the plan for avoiding the "real problem" of teacher vacancies, which number more than 3000.
"The teacher shortage crisis that we find ourselves in NSW that the Liberals have ignored for 12 years affects 100 per cent of schools but their ideas today only go to one per cent of teachers and schools," opposition education spokeswoman Prue Car told reporters.
NSW has about 56,000 full-time-equivalent public school teaching positions, with another 900 specialist support staff.
That total is 50 fewer than in 2018, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data, with 4100 fewer students in public schools too.
Premier Dominic Perrottet defended the government's lack of detail on achieving the 10 per cent goal.
"It's about having a goal, breaking down generational stagnation caused by the teachers' union," he told reporters.
The government also committed to expanding a program that hands principals more hiring and firing power from 10 to 50 schools.
NSW has about 2100 public schools.
Australian Associated Press
