Schools: Regional SASS Reference Groups Funding

Executive, 31 March 2008, EX30/08

"That the PSA Executive endorse the recommendation of the Schools Departmental Committee that the Association lobby the DET and the NSW Government to fund RSRGs on a recurrent basis to ensure their good work in training SAS Staff can continue.

Further, that the PSA delegates and members encourage the RSRG in their region to approach the Department to also continue the funding."

At the last meeting of the Central Reference Group it was obvious that ongoing funding for the RSRGs in not guaranteed. There does not presently appear to be any funding budgeted for RSRGs to continue after the end of June 2008.

The PSA is preparing a submission to the Department to ask that the RSRG funding become recurrent. The submission will give details of the extent of the training that has been achieved by the groups for an extremely small outlay by the DET. Previously there was very minimul funding provided by the DET to train SAS Staff until the PSA was successful in obtaining the $2ml. The RSRGs have done an excellent job and trained large numbers of SAS Staff in an extremely cost-effective manner.

We have scheduled meetings with the Director General and the Minister for next month and we will strongly lobby them both to continue the funding. In additional the RSRGs themselves and the Professional Learning Directorate will be asked to lobby in support of our request.