Illawarra teachers join call for more funding amid shortage 'crisis'

The Illawarra-based president of the NSW Teachers Federation, Henry Rajendra, said NSW public schools were underfunded 11 per cent below the schooling resource standard, equating to a shortfall of $1.9 billion this year, which could have employed up to 12,000 permanent teachers.

He said historical changes made to a national agreement under Tony Abbott's government in 2019 meant schools had since been underfunded.

"That means whilst the complexity of student need has grown over time, the resourcing has not kept up and therefore that puts more work on our teachers to try and meet the needs of our kids and that kind of excessive workload, being crushed by that kind of unmanageable pressures, unfortunately has led to some teachers leaving the profession," Mr Rajendra said.

"We are in the middle of a teacher shortage crisis in NSW."

Figures from the Department of Education showed there were 149 teacher vacancies at the start of the school year in its regional south area (which included the Illawarra), he said, affecting 58 per cent of the 257 schools.

Mr Rajendra said teacher vacancies would mean that some classes would not be covered, and students would have to be split up among other classes.

"Some kids are left under minimal supervision in the library or the playground," he said.

"These are unacceptable conditions... and particularly those with the most complex needs, they're the ones that are left behind."

Teachers tried their best, he said, but they were "worn out".

Education Minister Jason Clare said he was working with his state and territory colleagues to bring public schools to "full and fair" funding levels under the next National School Reform Agreement.

"Currently, no public school outside of the ACT is fully funded. There's still a 5 per cent funding gap," Mr Clare said.

"The negotiations we're having now are about how we fill that gap: what the Commonwealth government chips in and what the states chip in and what that funding is tied to."

The NSW Teachers Federation visited three schools in Wollongong and another in Nowra on Wednesday with a billboard in tow which read 'Don't shortchange our kids. Fully fund public schools'.

Mr Rajendra said a pay rise agreement the union reached with the state government last year was "excellent" but alone would not address the shortage issue.

"We require the prime minister to step in and step up, provide the funding, close the funding gap," he said.

"He leads a government that has the greatest capacity to raise revenue compared to any other government in this country.

"He said some really important positive statements about public education, we just need him now to provide that funding."

Meanwhile, Mr Rajendra said, private schools were funded to 100 per cent of the schooling resource standard or above.

He said a new agreement was needed as soon as possible, with the current agreement extended until the end of the year.