PAYMENT OF TEACHERS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 69, 14 December 1917, Page 8

PAYMENT OF TEACHERS

AND. STAFFING OF SCHOOLS

WARTIME AMENDMENTS

Amendments to the regulations for the payment of teachers and staffing of schools, and making regulations for supplementary giants to school committees for incidental expenses, modifying the provisions of tile Education Act, 1914, io meet conditions arising out of tho present war are gazetted. Tho salient features of the amend-1 ments include a provision that where at any time during the continuance of j these regulations it becomes necessary' for an education board to appoint a teacher as locum tenons for a teacher on military servico or for any other teacher on leave of absence, or where in any case an education hoard is of opinion that it is not expedient to make a permanent appointment, the education board shall appoint as a temporary leacher such person as it thinks tit, whether such person is a certificated teacher or a teacher holding a licence to teach or not. An appointment may be made for a fixed period, which period may be extended from time to time, or limy bo made for an indefinite period, terminable either by the board or by the person holding the appointment by one month's notice in writing, or by such lesser period of notice as may be agreed on by the board and such person: provided that if tho appointment is that of locum tenons for a teacher on leave of absence tho board niav m.ikc the appointment on the condition that it shall bo terminable forthwith on the teacher on leave reporting for duty. No such appointment shall continue for more than six, months after the termination of the present war. If a teacher holds a permanent nosition under the Education Act, 1.914, and accepts appointment to another position as'temporary teacher under these regulations witli leave of absence from his permanent position, ho shall not be regarded as having thereby vacated his former permanent position unless he resigns from such permanent nosition, but no payment by way of salary shall be made to him at any time in respect of more ihnn one position. If any person appointed under these regulations who is the holder of a teacher's certificate or of. a. licence to teach continues in the service of tho board for more than three months alter the date of his appointment, ho shall be entitled to become a contributor to the Teachers' Superannuation Fund as from the date of his appointment, as if he were then first permanently employed in the Education service, and shall, for the purposo of computing tho benefits to which he may thereafter become entitled from that fund, be entitled to count tho wliolo period of his temporary servico under this section. In no case shall the salary payable to any such teacher bo greater than the salary to which ho would be entitled under the Education Act, 1914, if ho wero permanently appointed to tho position to which lie lias been temporarily appointed. All salaries P 1 ) -' a bio under these regulations _ shall be subject to revision by the Minister cf Education, who, in view of all the circumstances, may decide that a different rate of salary, not being a rate of salary in excess of the rate of salary payable under tho Education Act ; 1914, shall be paid in any particular case, and any such decision of the Minister shall bo binding on the board. It shall be lawful for an education board to appoint permanently to any vacant position in a public school any person, being the holder of a) teacher's certificate or a licence to teach, who is for tho time heing a member of the Now Zealand Expeditionary Force, whother ho has applied for any such position or not. The appointment shall be deemed to commence from any date fixed by the board following the occurrence of the vacancy j from the date of such appointmont tho person appointed shall be deemed to be or to have been on leave of absence from such position. Any teacher so appointed shall bo entitled _to the same rights _ and be subjcct to tho same liabilities as if his appointment hr'l been made in the ordinary course under any provision of tho Education Act, 1914.

Staffing On .lamiiirv 1 in caclryear tho number of teachers and pupil teachers in any school other than a district high school or in tho primary department of any district high school, si: all bo determined by the yearly average attendance for the vear immediately preceding subject to certain conditions specified. No account shall he taken of the average attendance for_ any quarter it it is shown to the satisfaction of tho Minister of Education 011 the certificate of tho District Health Officer or of a Medical Inspector of Schools that an infectious disease of an epidemic character has been locally prevalent (Wring that quarter to the extent or affecting 10 per cent, or more of the children on the roll of the school or - department. , In the case of a reduction in the staff of a school, such amount shall be paid to tho board in respect of the teachers whose services are dispensed with as will enable the board to comply with Sedtion 82 of the Education Act. 1914,' or,. as the ease may be, with i-lie provisions of these regulations; hut, with the exceptions set forth in sub-clause (2) hereof, in no circumstances shall payment. be rtjaae to tho board on account of the salary of any teacher for a longer period than four months after tho end or the quarter i'l which the school ceases to be entitled to the services of such teacher if such teacher had been permanently appointed, or for a longer period than two mouths in any other case. In any school in which, under inc Education Act, 1914, or these regulations, a reduction in the staff is to be made, if at the beginning of any *übsequent quarter it is found that ihe average attendance of the school tor the quarter immediately preceding has increased so that the minimum a a eia<*e attendance of the grade or subgrade for. which such staff has been provided has been reached, then, if notice to the teacher or teachers to be withdrawn has not expired, payment of the salary or salaries of the. said teacher or teachers .may be' continued for such period as the board may decide, being not more than four months after the beginning of the quarter first named; • and so on from quarter . to quarter until January 1 next ensuing. If circumstances make it appear expedient that a temporary rearrangement of tho staff of any school or department should be made, either by a reduction in the number 011 the stall or by the temporary appointment ot a pupil-teacher or probationer to an assistant's position, or in any other manned howsoever, the Minister of Jlducation may, if lie is of opinion that such rearrangement is reasonable and necessary for the proper conduct 01 the school! authorise the payment to any teacher, pupil-teacher, or probationer employed 111 that school of an allowance in addition to his salary as remuneration in respect of the. additional duties imposed on such teacher, puputeacher, or probationer by reason of such rearrangement of the staff, or he mav authorise such temporary adjustment of the salaries of the staff as lie mav in the circumstances think lit, provided that in 110 case shall tho total salaries and allowances payable to the staff under the Education Act, IJI4, at any time be exceeded. Any teacher holding a permanent appointment who is required by an education board to fill temporarily another

position as locum tenens for a teaser 011 active service or on homo service may bo paid such reasonable cxiKmviS of removal as may be prescribed. Crants for Committees' incidental Expenses During the War. During the currency of llio present war with Germany there shall be paid annually to the board out of moneys appropriated from time to time by Parliament a supplementary sum for all the public schools in its education district. The payment to each committee shall as far as possible, and sub-' ject to any nccessary adjustment, bo> made in one sum before March 31 next following the allotment of the grant, and shall be based on the yearly averago attendance as defined by regulations for- tho year in which the grant is made.