3-16 Emergency staffing scheme

The Emergency Staffing Scheme (ESS) is funded by the Ministry of Education and administered by the NZSTA.

Conditions

Placement under this scheme would be a principal vacancy, and may be approved where it can be clearly demonstrated that:

an acting appointment from within the school is impossible or impracticable
the board has made every effort to obtain a relief principal to cover the vacancy, including utilising local and regional resources
support is required for 10 school weeks or fewer
the emergency has arisen from a situation outside of the board's control.

Deputy principal (or other senior leadership) vacancies may be approved where the school is able to demonstrate that the role cannot be filled by any other mechanism and meets all the other conditions listed above.

Placements beyond 10 school weeks or extensions to existing placements beyond 10 school weeks must have prior approval from the Ministry and NZSTA, and will only be considered in exceptional and extenuating circumstances.

Accessing the scheme's services

Schools meeting the above criteria for an ESS placement should contact the NZSTA's head office in Wellington for the name of their nearest ESS regional coordinator.

Retainer details

Emergency Staffing Scheme pool members are paid a retainer, $6,000 per annum plus $500 per term for distance placements. Distance payments are when a school is 100kms or more from the pool members normal place of residence.

This retainer is paid through NZSTA to the pool member in four equal instalments by direct credit into the ESS pool member’s nominated bank account.

Contact details

New Zealand School Trustees Association
Physical address: Level 3, Aurora Chambers, 66–68 The Terrace, Wellington
Postal address: PO Box 5123, Wellington
Phone: (04) 473 4955
Fax: (04) 473 4706
Email: admin@nzsta.org.nz

Payment of the ESS pool teacher's salary

The following table outlines how the ESS pool teacher’s salary is to be paid:

If the position to be covered by the ESS pool teacher is...	then the ESS pool teacher's salary is...
currently vacant	paid from Teachers' Salaries. The board becomes the pool teacher's employer with the provisions of the relevant Collective Agreement applying. ESS pool teachers are paid at the rate applicable to their qualifications and experience.
to cover a teacher on long-term leave with pay (and sick leave)	met by the board from its operational funding. Where the conditions outlined in section 3-1 are met, the board may seek additional relief teacher funding from the Resourcing Division in the usual way.

Claimable expenses

The following table shows expenses that may be claimed by an ESS pool member and reimbursed by the Ministry:

Travel	Entitlement
Pool teacher living at normal place of residence and travelling up to 60kms each way to placement	Reimbursement of return travel (one trip per day) between their normal place of residence and the school. Travel is reimbursed at the "Transport Allowance for Relieving Employees" rate specified in the relevant Collective Agreement.
Pool teacher living at normal place of residence and travelling up to 60 - 100kms each way to placement	Reimbursement of return travel (one trip per day) between their normal place of residence and the school with a cap of $350 per week reimbursement to the board from the Ministry (the board will need to pay the excess) or: 1 return trip per term and $50 per day living away from home allowance. If accommodation is unable to be found within the daily allowance, the Ministry will consider a case from the employing board for the reimbursement of additional costs. Prior approval must be sought from the Ministry for this. Travel is reimbursed at the "Transport Allowance for Relieving Employees" rate specified in the relevant collective agreement
Pool teacher living away from normal place of residence where placement is at least 100kms away.	Return travel (one trip per appointment) between their normal place of residence and the school. Travel is reimbursed at the "Transport Allowance for Relieving Employees" rate specified in the relevant collective agreement. A daily allowance of $50.00 per day (including weekends). This is to cover all living expenses. If accommodation is unable to be found within the daily allowance, the Ministry will consider a case from the employing board for the reimbursement of additional costs. Prior approval must be sought from the Ministry for this.

Expenses that may not be claimed

An ESS pool teacher may wish to travel home in term time during the appointment. This travel will be at the expense of the employee. The daily allowance, however, will continue to be paid.

Reimbursement of claims

The board employing the ESS pool teacher is responsible for the payment of travel expenses and the daily allowance. The Ministry will then reimburse these expenses to the board.

The following table outlines the process for the reimbursement of claims:

Stage	Description
1	The ESS pool teacher submits their claim to their employing board. The claim consists of: receipts for travel and accommodation expenses the Emergency Staffing Scheme Claim Form available from the Resourcing Forms page
2	The board initially pays the qualifying expenses from its operational funding.
3	The board seeks reimbursement of the actual costs paid from the Resourcing Division. Only those expenses listed above will be reimbursed. Boards should send each claim for reimbursement of expenses to the Resourcing Division and include: the completed Emergency Staffing Scheme Claim Form a copy of the letter from the ESS regional coordinator to the board confirming the ESS pool teacher’s appointment receipts for travel and accommodation expenses for the ESS pool teacher.

Stage

Description

The ESS pool teacher submits their claim to their employing board. The claim consists of:

receipts for travel and accommodation expenses
the Emergency Staffing Scheme Claim Form available from the Resourcing Forms page

The board initially pays the qualifying expenses from its operational funding.

The board seeks reimbursement of the actual costs paid from the Resourcing Division. Only those expenses listed above will be reimbursed.

Boards should send each claim for reimbursement of expenses to the Resourcing Division and include:

the completed Emergency Staffing Scheme Claim Form
a copy of the letter from the ESS regional coordinator to the board confirming the ESS pool teacher’s appointment
receipts for travel and accommodation expenses for the ESS pool teacher.

Final date for claims

The final date for processing claims for any school year will be 31 March of the following year. Claims received at the Resourcing Division after this date will not be actioned. Nor will claims received prior to the cut-off date, where appropriate and full documentation did not accompany the claim and has not been received by 31 March.