Greater Shepparton Secondary College has hit back at criticism of an incentives scheme that could see teachers paid $80,000 in bonuses for committing to the school for four years.
State Member for Shepparton Kim O'Keeffe has said she’s concerned the incentives will not help the long-term stability of the school.
“Whilst this financial incentive may attract teachers to the region, what my concern is, is the long-term sustainability to keep them here,” Ms O’Keeffe said.
“I’m concerned that this will just be a cash grab for some who only come for the incentive instead of for the long-term commitment to the school.”
All teachers who complete two years of employment are eligible to receive a retention payment of up to $10,000. Beyond that the teacher is eligible to receive further retention payments up to $10,000 on the completion of their third year full year of employment and fourth full year of employment at the school. A teacher remaining in a school can receive up to $80,000 over four full years of employment.
Executive principal of the college Barbara O'Brien said the incentives were part of a wider scheme across the state that aims to attract teachers to schools that need them.
“They’ve been around for some time now and they are for all schools that are experiencing workforce challenges so it’s not just Greater Shepparton Secondary College,” Ms O'Brien said.
“They are available to any school in Victoria that’s experiencing workforce challenges.”
Ms O’Brien said the school has had some success using incentives to help attract more teachers to the school and refutes the claim they are used as a “cash grab” by teachers.
“That hasn’t been our experience so far,” she said.
“We’ve had people take on the teacher financial incentive and have stayed with us, people who are probably in their third and fourth year.”
One teacher who has stayed is maths teacher Ben Richards, whose first introduction to the school was in mid-2022 on an unpaid work placement as a student.
He then progressed through the permission-to-teach program, is now working on a contract basis and plans to apply for a full-time role.
“I’ve loved it. There’s a reason why four weeks has turned into almost two years,” he said.
“Even though I’ve got a family and life back here (Melbourne), it was the best place to learn.
“You weigh up the options and you say, ‘Well, if I stay in Melbourne, what would be better than what I’ve got right now?’ and it’s hard to come up with anything.”
Ms O'Keeffe said she wants the school's structure reviewed and it provided with more support.
“How is the school going to be supported to address the other ongoing issues including losing teachers, losing staff and losing students? Will there be a review of the school system? How are they addressing other concerns that have been raised at the school,” Ms O’Keeffe said.
“I have concerns about the health and wellbeing of both the staff and students. I’ve heard first-hand from teachers that have left due to the school’s dysfunction, ongoing issues and the lack of support from the Department of Education.”
Ms O'Brien disputes the claim that the school does not get enough support from the Education Department or that it is dysfunctional, saying she’s been in education for 48 years, been a principal at a number of schools and never felt so well supported, describing the assistance as "outstanding".
“I think education has never been healthier (in Shepparton) than it is at the moment,” she said.
“Yes, we’ve got a teacher shortage, but GSSC, in particular, offers such a range of subjects for our students.
“The support that each of our students get is getting, I stand in awe at what we’re able to do with our students and how we can support them.”
An Education Department spokesperson said Targeted Financial Incentives were used to attract teachers to hard-to-staff schools across Victoria and have been in place for the past four years.
“Incentives are offered for teachers to join many regional or hard-to-staff schools, as one of the largest secondary schools in regional Victoria, Greater Shepparton Secondary College continues to actively recruit for staff vacancies,” the spokesperson said.