Message from the BOT

The school will be closed on March 16th

Kia ora koutou parents and caregivers

As you may have heard through the news, the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) union voted yesterday for primary and intermediate school teachers to take part in the nationwide teachers' strike. All New Zealand primary teachers and principals, and secondary teachers, are striking for one day on Thursday, March 16th.

The Board has made the decision to close the school that day. We are unable to provide supervision that day because we do not have any registered teachers available. However, all camps will run as scheduled next week.

We understand that this is disruptive for families, especially at short notice. We also know that it is a hard decision for the teachers, not made lightly, as they are committed to the best interests of their students. This is reflected in the fact that the teachers who are attending camp next week have decided to remain with their class to ensure that camp can be completed without disruption.

The strike is in protest at the lack of progress with collective agreement negotiations, which have been going on since May last year. The negotiations have centered on matters such as funding and understaffing, ratios, and sick leave. The Board stands with the Tahuna teachers and principal in their industrial action. Although there may be short-term pain with a day off school, it is in the long-term best interests of our students.

We need to attract and retain educators by ensuring that teaching is a valued and attractive profession. We also need to ensure that our teachers have all of the tools at their disposal, including time to work with students 1:1, to plan, to assess, and to carry out the myriad of other jobs that our teachers do for our children.

Kā mihi nui

Tahuna Normal Intermediate School Board of Trustees