Salary units, senior and middle management allowances

Rules for allocating salary units

Salary units may only be allocated subject to the following:

• Units are for teachers, and unless a person is employed as a teacher they may not be paid a unit.
• Units may be allocated to part-time teachers, but they must be allocated as whole units rather than fractions of a unit.
• Units may not be divided, except in the case of official ‘job share positions’ and as described in the appropriate teachers' collective agreement.
• Principals may not be paid a unit(s).
• Units may be allocated on a permanent or fixed term basis as prescribed by the appropriate teachers’ collective agreement.
• The rules for allocating units are set out in the teachers’ collective agreements and, in the case of primary, intermediate and special schools, are also covered in the “Unit Allocation Guidelines” issued jointly by the Ministry of Education, NZEI and NZSTA in 2008.
• Up to 40% of units may be allocated as fixed term.
• Fixed term units are for the period allocated by the board and are usually for a minimum of 1 term. Salary protection only applies to units allocated permanently.
• Units are paid fortnightly as part of salary and not as a lump sum.
• Primary or intermediate schools with a staffing entitlement of 21 or fewer FTTEs may designate no more than two teachers holding permanent units as ‘deputy principal’ or ‘assistant principal’. In schools with more than 21 teachers, no more than three teachers may be designated as ‘deputy principal’ or ‘assistant principal’.
• Units are not part of the banking staffing arrangements, therefore boards cannot offset under and overuse during the course of the school year.
• Some units are allocated to specific attached positions (eg RTLB).  These units must be given to the teacher occupying the specific position.  They are not included in the board’s entitlement units but allocated separately.

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Calculation of salary units

The following formula is used to calculate entitlement units:

Generating Staffing = Entitlement staffing plus eligible attached teachers minus one
(ie, the principal). All calculations are rounded to the nearest whole number.

Eligible attached teachers

Eligible attached teachers are:

• Approved Resource Teachers of Vision Impaired (RVI)
• Approved Resource Teachers of Hearing Impaired (RHI)

Senior Management Allowances

Senior Management Allowances (SMAs) are provided to secondary schools only.

Calculation of SMAs - (secondary schools)

The following formula is used to calculate SMAs for secondary schools:

SMA = 0.18 x (Management staffing - 1) +2
This is rounded up to the next whole number

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Allocation of SMAs (secondary schools)

The rules governing the allocation of SMAs are set out in the Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement (STCA) and covered by the guidelines promulgated by Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) and New Zealand School Trustees Association (NZSTA).

Middle Management Allowances

Middle Management Allowances (MMAs) are provided to secondary and composite schools only.

Calculation of MMAs (secondary schools)

The following formula is used to calculate MMAs for secondary schools:

MMA = (0.525 x Generating Staffing) + 5 [rounded to the nearest whole number] + integer (ORS roll/5)

Where Generating Staffing = the sum of:

• entitlement staffing; plus
• eligible attached teachers
• minus one (the principal)

Calculation of MMAs (area and composite schools)

The following formula is used to calculate MMAs for area and composite schools:

MMA = 0.6 x Generating Staffing
Rounded to the nearest whole number

Generating Staffing is calculated by adding the following:

• secondary (years 9-15) curriculum staffing
• curriculum base staffing
• guidance staffing for the school's secondary students.

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Guidelines for allocation
of MMAs for teachers covered by the Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement

The rules governing the allocation of MMAs are set out the Secondary Teachers' Collective Agreement (STCA) and covered in the guidelines prepared by PPTA and NZSTA in November 2004, available on www.nzsta.org.nz. Boards should familiarise themselves with these.

In summary, these state the following:

• MMAs may be allocated to teachers who hold 0–5 salary units.
• Up to 15% of the MMAs may be allocated to teachers without salary units who have designated curriculum or pastoral management responsibilities.
• No teacher may hold more than two MMAs.
• Teachers with five salary units, who have significant designated curriculum-related management responsibilities, may be allocated MMAs, but may hold one MMA only.
• Up to 30% of the MMAs in secondary schools can be allocated on a fixed term basis.

Guidelines for the allocation of MMAs for teachers covered by the Area School Teachers’ Collective Agreement

The rules governing the allocation of MMAs are set out in the Area School Teachers’ Collective Agreement (ASTCA) and covered in the guidelines prepared by PPTA and NZSTA in December 2004.

Boards should familiarise themselves with these base documents. MMAs may be allocated to teachers with designated curriculum and/or pastoral management responsibilities subject to the agreed set of criteria and limitations.

In summary, the ASTCA states that:

• in schools with a total of seven or more MMAs, up to 15% of the MMAs may be allocated to teachers without salary units who have curriculum and/or pastoral management responsibilities
• in schools with fewer than seven MMAs, only one MMA may be allocated to a teacher without salary units who has curriculum and/or pastoral management responsibilities
• no teacher may hold more than two MMAs
• teachers with five salary units, who have significant designated curriculum-related management responsibilities, may be allocated MMAs, but may hold one MMA only
• up to 30% of the MMAs in area schools with four or more MMAs can be allocated on a fixed term basis
• in schools with fewer than four MMAs, one MMA can be allocated on a fixed term basis.