Non-teaching staff – funding for settlement of collective agreements

This page sets out information for boards and administrators about pay increases for non-teaching staff and the funding of those increases. The new pay rates resulted from the settlement of non-teaching staff collective agreements in November 2019.

Level of compliance Main audience Other

Inform

  • Boards
  • School administrators
  • Non-teaching and support staff

This guidance informs boards of the funding that the Ministry is providing them with, in response to the settlement of non-teaching staff collective agreements that were made in November 2019.

Summary

From March 2020, schools will be funded an additional increase to their operational grants to meet the costs of the non-teaching staff pay increases. This will be on top of the 1.8% increase schools have already received for 2020.

The additional funding is provided specifically to enable Boards to pay all eligible non-teaching staff at least $21.15 per hour (2019 Living Wage) calculated on the number of hours they work.

School funding calculations

What information is being used for the funding calculation?

We did not have up-to-date information about your employment of non-teaching staff for the 2020 school year, but we wanted to provide schools with additional funding as soon as possible.

That means we based the initial calculation of your additional funding from your non-teaching staff employed during the 2019 school year.

We know schools may employ different or more non-teaching staff in 2020. We will therefore ensure that we take into account funding for any additional non-teaching staff as part of schools’ October operational grant payment.

As you know, this is a new process; it is complex and we are having to use historical information, we ask for your assistance to help get it right. 

How did you calculate the additional funding?

Firstly, we gathered anonymised payroll information about all of the non-teaching staff employed at each school in 2019. We looked at each staff member’s role, hours worked in that role, rate of pay and grade.

Then we looked at what each of those roles would translate to under the new relevant Collective Agreement (CA) or Individual Employment Agreement (IEA) pay rates.

Next we worked out the 2020 base cost to each school would have been using the 2019 CA or IEA rates, and also what the estimated total additional cost to each school would be using the same staff members and their new CA or IEA pay rates but realising that not all things will remain the same in 2020.

We calculated what the increase between the 2020 base cost and the estimated increased cost would be for each school - a proportion of the overall increase is the amount that each school is required to meet and is already provided for within the 1.8% increase schools received in their operations grants this year.

We deducted this amount from the estimated increased cost to each school.

The remainder is the additional funding that the Ministry will provide.

What assumptions did you make for the calculation?

To calculate the additional funding we:

  • assumed that all non-teaching staff will be moved onto the new pay rates
  • calculated the back dated payments for all non-teaching staff from the same date - 29 November 2019. In most cases this will result in more funding being provided than is required to meet the back payment costs
  • assumed that all non-teaching staff pay will be increased to the new wage rate of $21.15 per hour as a minimum or will receive a 3% pay increase, whichever is greater
  • based the calculations on an employee's base rate in each of the roles they held (realising that some hold more than one role)
  • added ACC to our calculations at the rate of 0.33%
  • excluded contracted service providers as their employees are not on a school's payroll
  • rounded up to $100 where the additional funding was less than that amount

Can you provide my school with a detailed breakdown by each staff member included in the additional funding calculation?

School payroll information is confidential and the data that we received from payroll was anonymised.  Only the role information (position, grade, step, and rate) and hours worked was provided to us so that we could calculate an estimate of the cost impact between 2019 and 2020.

Is the funding calculation based on 2019 average or actual non-teaching payroll amounts? Are they based on a particular pay period or the entire school year?

We used the actual staffing levels for the full 2019 school year, not an average and not a specific pay period. That is we used actual, but anonymised, payroll information for each school about each staff member's role, hours worked in that role, rate of pay and grade.

Here are two examples based on hourly pay rates (one staff member moving to $21.15 per hour and one staff member already earning at least $21.15 per hour).

Teacher Aide earning $17.70 per hour increasing to $21.15 per hour (increase of $3.45)

School meets the first 32 cents per hour and the Ministry provides $3.13 per hour additional funding.

 

Per hour

 % increase

Teacher aide current pay rate

$17.70

 

School funds 1.8%**

$0.32

 1.8%

Ministry funds 17.7%

$3.13

 17.7%

New pay rate

$21.15

 19.5%

*This example can be applied to Teacher aides funded from different sources e.g. ORS/IWS as regardless of the funding source, if these roles are paid by the school they will be included in the additional funding calculation.

Office Manager earning $24.70 per hour increasing to $25.44 per hour (an increase of $0.74)

School meets the first 44 cents per hour and the Ministry provides 30 cents per hour additional funding.

 

Per hour

 % increase

Office Manager current pay rate

$24.70

 

School funds 1.8%**

$0.44

 1.8%

Ministry funds 1.2%

$0.30

 1.2%

New pay rate

$25.44

 3%

** Funded through the operational grant increase.

Does the additional funding allow for all pay costs, such as ACC?

Yes

Why are GST and ACC not included in my school's funding letter but are included in the payment?

The letter sets out all of the funding calculations, excluding GST, so schools know the net amounts required to meet the cost of the new pay rates. We have added ACC and GST to your school’s payment. The total with the ACC component added is displayed in the last column of information on page 2 of your funding letter.

The funding letter is in lieu of the quarterly instalment notice, as payment has been made outside of your school’s quarterly operational grants. All further payments will be visible on your quarterly operational grant notices.

The amount our school has received doesn't match the amount in the letter, is this a mistake?

The amounts on page 1 of your letter are GST and ACC exclusive, whereas the funding you have received includes GST and ACC. If you want to reconcile these, the GST component is calculated at 15%, and the ACC component is calculated at 0.33%.

To reconcile the special operational grant paid to your school on 6 March 2020 with the amount in your funding letter. Take the amount you have been paid ($XXX) and divide by 1.15 (GST) and then divide by 1.0033 (ACC). The result should match the amount in your funding letter (after rounding).

Which staff are covered in the additional funding?

All non-teaching staff covered by either a Collective Agreement or an Individual Employment Agreement.

We know that schools receive funding for Teacher Aides from different sources, e.g. the Ministry through ORS/IWS or ESOL, from other agencies e.g. Health, Oranga Tamariki, MSD and ACC, the Operational Grant, the school donations scheme or through local fundraising.

Regardless of the funding source, if these roles are paid by your school they will be included in the funding calculation.

Our school has employed more non-teaching staff than we believe the Ministry has provided funding for. What happens next?

We recognise that staffing for non-teaching roles can change from year to year. We calculated the additional funding, for 2020, for each school using their 2019 non-teaching staff payroll information, as that’s the most up-to-date payroll information we had.

We know that schools may employ different or more non-teaching staff in 2020. We will adjust your October operational grant to take into account increases in non-teaching staffing during the year and also the new pay rates that apply from November/December.

We will also put in a review process in place for schools that believe their entitlement is incorrectly calculated.

Our school uses external providers and contractors for non-teaching staff services, will we receive the additional funding?

No. Schools that contract and / or outsource non-teaching staff functions will not receive additional funding for staff and contractors employed by external providers.

We have only provided additional funding to assist meeting the increased wage costs for non-teaching staff employed by Boards of Trustees.

Funding for the increases

Why aren’t schools being funded for the full increase?

All schools received a 1.8% increase to their operational grant in 2020. Schools are expected to use this funding to cover the first 1.8% of the pay increase regardless of the funding source for each position, which is in line with previous pay increases for non-teaching staff.

Schools will receive additional funding to meet the costs over and above 1.8% by a special operational grant payment that will be made on Friday 6 March, and thereafter with each quarterly operational grant payment.

When will schools receive their funding?

On 6 March, schools received the first instalment of funding to cover back payments (including holiday pay) and pay increases up to 31 March 2020.

On 1 April, schools received an increase to their second quarterly operational grant to cover pay increases until 30 June 2020. The April funding notice will also provide details of the funding schools will receive as part of the July and October quarterly operational grants.

The October operational grant will be adjusted prior to payment to take into account any increases in non-teaching staff during 2020 and the new pay increases that apply from November/December 2020.

How will the funding be provided?

For 2020, schools will receive their funding for the increases as follows:

  • From the 1.8% increase you received to this years’ operational grant. You are expected to use this funding to cover the first 1.8% of the pay increase, in line with previous pay increases for non-teaching staff; and
  • You will receive additional funding to meet the costs above the first 1.8%. This is to ensure you will be able to pay the increased costs.
  • Payments will be made to you by a special operational grant on Friday 6 March, and thereafter with your quarterly operational grant.

Our school hasn’t budgeted for these increases and we have other increased costs. Can the Ministry help us with financial management?

These increases are unlikely to result in schools going into overdraft as we are providing funding for the first quarter of the school year, in addition to funding back pay.

Boards will receive the first instalment of funding on 6 March to ensure that they can meet their obligation for back pay and pay increases up to 31 March 2020. Then they will receive an increase to each quarterly operational grants thereafter, to cover pay increases for that quarter.

If schools are concerned they can contact the Ministry’s Resourcing Contact Centre at resourcing@education.govt.nz or call us on 04 463 8383.

Will the Ministry be monitoring how the additional funding is spent?

The purpose of this funding is for non-teaching staff to earn at least $21.15 per hour. If IEA non-teaching staff pay rates remain below $21.15 per hour, this may impact future funding.

When will staff get their new pay rates?

The new pay rates, including back pay to the dates of settlements, will be paid from 25 March 2020(Pay Period 26).

Will schools be funded differently for union and non-union members?

No. We will provide sufficient funding for Boards to be able to pay all non-teaching staff at least $21.15 per hour.

What is happening for Secondary and Area School Groundstaff?

The Secondary and Area School Groundstaff Collective Agreement has been settled. Information about the settlement and the individual employment agreement which you should now offer to non-union Groundstaff is available. The funding that you have received will cover these staff members.

Information about the settlement and the individual employment agreement

Support Staff in Schools’ Collective Agreement and Learning Support Teacher Aide (LSTA) Funding

How will my school meet the increased teacher aide salary cost, arising from the support staff in schools’ collective agreement settlement, to support our students who receive support through the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS)?

 All schools have been supported to meet the increased salary costs for Teacher Aides, arising from the support staff in schools’ collective agreement settlement through the following:

  • a 1.8% increase to 2020 operational grant funding,
  • additional funding has been provided to schools whose costs are expected to exceeded 1.8%, and
  • an increase in the LSTA contribution rate from $18 per hour to $19 per hour from 1 July 2020.

LSTA funding rate increases have been applied to ORS, School High Health Needs Fund, Behaviour Services, In-Class Support and, Language and Learning intervention (Communication Services).

My school also receives teacher aide funding from another agency. Will that agency increase its rates to match the increased salary costs?

Teacher aides can be funded from a variety of sources, which can include a combination of schools’ operational funding, Ministry funded Learning Support services or funding from other agencies. Both of the Ministry funding sources have received increases for 2020. 

The Ministry liaises with other agencies about our LSTA contribution rate.  However, the rate at which other agencies fund teacher aides is a decision for that agency to make. If you have questions about the teacher aide funding that you receive from another agency you should contact the agency directly.

Can you give an example for a Learning Support Teacher Aide previously earning $17.70 per hour increasing to $21.15 per hour?

A school with a student receiving support through the Ongoing Resourcing Scheme (ORS) at the high needs level who receives, in this example, 400 hours of teacher aide funding in 2020. The LSTA hourly contribution rate increases on 1 July 2020 from $18 to $19 per hour.

This will provide schools with additional funding of $200 (400 hours x $1 increase/2 (6 months)) over the course of the year. This increase supports the school’s costs towards teacher aide salary costs.

 In addition, the school will receive additional funding above the 1.8% operations grant funding increase. This amounts to about an extra 17.7%.

January to June 2020

Per hour

% increase

School’s contribution to pay increase from 2020 operations grant

$0.32

1.8%

Additional funding for 2020

$3.13

17.7%

LSTA funding contribution (January to June 2020)

$18.00

0.0%

Estimated funding available to meet new hourly cost (January to June 2020)

$21.45

 

 

 

 

July to December 2020

 

 

School's contribution to pay increases from 2020 operations grant

$0.32

1.8%

Additional funding for 2020

$3.13

17.7%

LSTA funding contribution (July to December 2020)

$19.00

5.56%

Estimated funding available to meet new hourly cost (July to December 2020)

$22.45

 

Funding reviews

Can our school have our additional funding calculation reviewed?

Yes, schools will be able to seek a review of their additional funding for 2020 if their non-teaching staff employment arrangements have changed significantly in 2020.

How will you review my school's additional funding?

We will be making any necessary adjustments in your October operational grant to take into account increases in non-teaching staffing during the year. If after this adjustment, a school provides evidence that they need significantly more additional funding than provided we will review their situation with them.

If this applies to your school, contact the Ministry's Resourcing Contact Centre at resourcing@education.govt.nz or call us on 04 463 8383.

Can we seek a review before October if we are finding it difficult to meet the wage increases?

Yes. Contact the Ministry's Resourcing Contact Centre at resourcing@education.govt.nz or call us on 04 463 8383 as we are here to help.

Will my school's additional funding ever be decreased?

The additional funding is specifically for the purpose of increasing non-teaching staff pay. If you do not intend to offer the new pay rates to staff on IEAs, or if staff do not accept the new IEA, then your entitlement to this additional funding will reduce. If this is the case, please contact us so we can adjust your funding to avoid overpayment.

Our school doesn't understand how our additional funding has been calculated. How was it been calculated?

Information was published on the School Data Portal on 6 March, where schools will be able to see the details of their additional funding.

The two examples based on staff hourly pay rates here will help explain how we arrived at the additional funding calculation.

If you need further help, contact the Ministry's Resourcing Contact Centre at resourcing@education.govt.nz or call us on 04 463 8383.

Individual Employment Agreements (IEAs) for non-union members

What should schools do for non-teaching staff who aren’t members of a union?

Staff who are not union members will need to be offered and accept a new IEA by 29 May 2020 to receive back pay for the new rates of pay. Schools will need to advise EPL when a new IEA has been signed.

By the end of Term 1, it is expected that all staff will have had the opportunity to accept a new IEA with the new rates of pay. The additional funding is provided specifically for the purpose of increasing non-teaching staff pay.

What will happen to the additional funding if our school does not offer the new IEAs?

If schools do not intend to offer staff the new pay rates, or if staff do not accept the new IEA, then your entitlement to this funding will reduce. If this is the case please contact us so we can adjust your funding to avoid an overpayment.

Where can our school find out more about IEAs?

They are available on this website under Individual employment agreements.

Schools who do not use Education Payroll (EPL)

Our school doesn’t use Education Payroll for payroll services for non-teaching employees, how will this work for us?

We are in contact with these schools about their additional funding calculation as we need their payroll information about their non-teaching staff, the hours they worked and pay rates they were on to make the calculations. While every effort is being made to calculate the additional funding payments in time for 6 March, it may not be possible. The next opportunity to deliver their additional funding will be on 1 April or 1 July, which will then include all back dated additional funding.

Our school has non-teaching staff not paid through EPL and we have not been contacted. What should we do?

If any of your non-teaching staff are not paid through EPL and we have not contacted you then, get in touch straight away so we can ensure additional funding for these positions is provided (Ministry’s Resourcing Contact Centre at resourcing@education.govt.nz or call us on 04 463 8383).

New schools in 2020

Our school is new this year so will not have 2019 payroll data, how will the additional funding be calculated for our non-teaching staff?

For new schools that open at the beginning of 2020 we will estimate their funding based on an existing school of a similar type, including location, number of learning support students and size, and we will contact you to discuss your needs prior to confirming the level of funding.

More information

Our school has questions, who can we ask?

If your question is about payments to non-teaching staff there will be information in Payroll Updates on the Education Payroll website, or school administrators can talk to their dedicated payroll adviser. Non-teaching staff should talk to their school payroll administrator. 

If your question is about funding, you can contact the Ministry’s Resourcing Contact Centre at resourcing@education.govt.nz or call us on 04 463 8383.

Which collective agreements do these pay rates result from?

The new pay rates result from the settlement of these non-teaching staff collective agreements:

  • Support Staff in Schools’ Collective Agreement
  • Kaiārahi i te Reo, Therapists’, ATSSD, Special Education Assistants’ Collective Agreement
  • School Caretakers’, Cleaners’ and Canteen Staff Collective Agreement
  • Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu Specialist and Support Staff Collective Agreement
  • Adult and Community Education Staff in Schools’ Collective Agreement

Collective agreements

Secondary and Area School Ground staff – Further advice will be provided in future School Bulletins and online at the conclusion of current bargaining discussions.

Where can our school find out more about the settlements?

Refer to the following circulars:

Settlement of the Support Staff in Schools’ Collective Agreement and the Kaiārahi i te Reo, Therapists’, ATSSD, Special Education Assistants’ Collective Agreement and New Individual Employment Agreements

Settlement of the School Caretakers', Cleaners' and Canteen Workers Collective Agreement and the Adult and Community Education Staff in Schools' Collective Agreement and new Individual Employment Agreements

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