Care factor: Northmead Public school teacher Mel Kane gives a Gonski. Picture: Gene Ramirez
STAFF at Northmead Public School will wear green to show their support for the Gonski review this week.
Teachers have renewed calls to follow the recommendations of the independent review released in February for an extra $6.5 billion to be spent on Australian schools by the federal government.
NSW Teachers Federation representative and Northmead Public School teacher Mel Kane said some of the readers she sends home with her kindergarten students were published in 1966 and used when she was a student.
"They're essential things that get used and get lost, and are constantly draining money out of budgets," she said.
"They keep talking about the Australian curriculum — that children have got to be 21st century learners and have all of this information technology and iPads and we can't even get a couple of computers to start up.
"Most classrooms don't have airconditioning.
"I know these are all small things but on a hot summer's day when you've got 22 kids [and] it's too hot, they can't think, they won't learn.
"We've dealt with children with Asperger's or autism spectrum, but now we're getting children with multiple disabilities in our classrooms.
"You always wonder if you're allowed to [put up posters] because you're not supposed to display political material in schools but in the end Gonski is about the kids and about the school."
NSW Teachers Federation city organiser Theo Bougatsas said Gonski funding should not be a replacement for the 1.7 billion cut from the state education budget last September.
Gonski week is on March 10 to 17. Details: igiveagonski.com.au.