About 1400 NSW teachers and support staff could have the job certainty they're currently without by the middle of the year as part of a concerted recruitment and retention drive for schools.
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The education department will write to some 250 public schools this week about moving temporary teachers and staff to permanent contracts.
Once principals confirm the eligibility of staff, they will receive formal offers with an expectation the first day of permanent duty will be the start of term three on July 17.
It's the first stage of a scheme to move at least 10,000 temporary teachers and about 6000 support staff to permanent contracts, an election promise the government believes it can deliver by the new year.
Premier Chris Minns says those positions will be made permanent by the first day of term one in 2024.
"For young teachers without a permanent position, it makes it more difficult to get a home loan and lay down roots," he told reporters on Tuesday.
"This will give teachers the job security they need to stay in the profession and help turn around teacher shortages."
The first 250-odd schools to benefit include some with the highest-need students.
The initiative also includes Aboriginal Education Officers and schools that have struggled to find staff.
A parliamentary inquiry was told in February resignations in schools outstripped retirements for the first time and principals were clocking up to 70 hours a week.
A NSW government-commissioned survey of teachers in 2022 found two in three respondents felt burnt out and one in five expected to quit within two years.
About one third of teachers and education staff are on temporary contracts, a number that has steadily increased in recent years, the premier said.
"This is a common sense initiative we believe will make a major difference to the retention crisis for NSW schools and have a positive impact for the education of the next generation of young Australians."
Education Minister Prue Car said a permanent position would provide teachers with peace of mind.
"We want to send a message to teachers that they are valued and appreciated for the important work they do," she said.
About 1400 staff who have worked at a single school for at least three years and are still at that school will be eligible in the first stage of the scheme.
The offers will not depend on there being a permanent vacancy at the school and principals can fill existing permanent vacancies as the initiative progresses.
Australian Associated Press
