Allocation and/or
Review of Units
W L Noble BED. Diptch. DipEd. FNZEI 2009
The allocation of units can be very stressful for
principals.
There are three points of view around units:
• There are not enough.
• There are too many.
• I wish we didn’t have them.
It is hoped that this presentation might make it
easier.
History of Units
Units are a carry over from pay parity.
Senior Teacher positions were changed from a
Senior Teacher’s salary to a unit payment.
This created the opportunity to pay teachers one or
more units to carry out specific tasks and or
responsibilities.
Since pay parity NZEI has tried to gain unit
parity with the PPTA.
With the latest increase of unit numbers parity
with units with the PPTA has nearly been
achieved.
It must be realised that in negotiations and a
directive from the membership that units were
to be used firstly to develop a career structure.
Process
Firstly there MUST be consultation with teaching
staff.
The best way to start this consultation is to use the
guidelines developed jointly by NZEI, MoE and
NZSTA.
A suggestion is that these be given to teachers in
syndicates or small groups of teachers to have a
discussion about how they think units should be
used and allocated.
Units give the Principal an opportunity to rethink
career paths for teachers and additional leadership
roles within a school.
Units and Career Paths
• Additional teaching and learning responsibilities.
• Based on the needs of the school.
• Developing a career pathways, roles and
responsibilities.
• A key element in the allocation process is a clear
job description this should apply to both fix term
and permanent units.
• Exciting initiatives/opportunities.
• A mixture of fixed/permanent term units
(important).
Permanent Units
• The Primary Teachers' Contract requires an
minimum of % units 60 must be allocated as
permanent.
• These units are the traditional senior and middle
management positions.
• Permanent units cannot be taken away from
teachers who hold them.
• As a guide from limited research it has the
following break down has shown 46% Senior
Management, 27% Middle Management, 27%
Curriculum and recruitment and retention.
Key Principles
• The units allocation supports a logical and
transparent career structure within the school.
• Units are allocated, and new roles created, on the
basis of the different needs of the school.
• Units are allocated to provide recognition and
reward for leadership, teaching and learning, not
simply work load.
• Allocation of units is based on objective criteria,
i.e. to be positions rather than to specific people
holding positions.
• The teaching staff are consulted about the
development or review of the unit allocation
policy.
• The requirements of the PTCA are met.
Overview Questions
• What career structure does the school have now?
• What career structure could the school have to
support its strategic direction?
• How will the units be used to create that
structure?
• How will existing unit allocations and career
structures be development to achieve that
structure?
• How will the transition process be organised?
• Questions to Facilitate Thinking and Discussion.
These are on page 5 of the document Unit
Allocation Guidelines. These need to be run off
for all teachers to discuss.
Developing Policy
Key guiding principals
• The priorities that have been determined for the
allocation of both fixed term and permanent units.
• The roles and responsibilities that will have units
attached and the transition of those roles.
• The balance between permanent and fixed term
units.
• The process for appointing people to those
positions.
• The process to be followed when the fix term
expires.
• How changes will be dealt with, e.g., staff changes,
reduced or increased unit allocation.
Board Delegation to the
Principal
It could be useful for the Principal to present the
following information to the Board/staff.
• A briefing on what units are and the purpose of
the units.
• The current school policy on unit allocation.
• Where applicable the increase of decrease of
units.
• How and when consultation with teaching staff
will occur.
Consultation with Teachers
The intended consultation process, include how
this will occur:
• The school’s current unit allocation policy.
• Relevant information about units and career
pathways that teachers need in order to
constructively participation in the
consultation (Principals need to be quite
explicit here because many teachers don’t
see the need to increase the DP units).
• The process for confirming the final decision
on the school’s unit allocation policy
(Principals also need to make it quite clear
consultation means consultation it does not
mean agreement the principal might have to
have the final say).
Reviewing the Policy
The process that has been outlined can be used
whenever the unit policy needs reviewing particularly
in the situation of a falling role.
Triggers that could cause a review:
•
•
•
•
Staff turnover.
Recruitment/retention issues.
New educational initiatives.
Changes to the school’s unit entitlement.
Acknowledgements/Comments
NZEI, MoE and NZSTA joint
Unit Allocation Guidelines
• This can be found on the NZEI Website.
• If this presentation is going to be used
the presenter should read the guidelines
and have copies of the Principles of Consultation for
all Principals.