Staffing under the spotlight

For a while now there has been comments made about staffing practices at the Carenne Special School. A number of staff have raised concern about how family and friends take precedence over more skilled staff.

The current concern is centred around Doug Rowe, husband of teacher's aide Margaret (and member of the Carenne Klan) who has been maneuvering to stop the school's former groundsperson from returning to his position. Mr Rowe was given the position by Lynette Duncan after the groundsman went on sick leave in mid-2009. Staff complained at the time that there were more suitable people for the position and that the decision had only been made to strengthen the influence of the Carenne Klan.

Earlier in the year, Mrs Duncan came under scrutiny when she employed her own husband to relieve for the school's administration manager when she went on sick leave. Staff believed it to be inappropriate for the principal's husband to be employed in such a position.

The problem goes back far further than Mrs Duncan's principalship. In the past, staff claim that they have complained about the employment of casuals who are related to or friends with one and another and promotions based on friendship and loyalty. Many staff have made the charge that the merit selection process at Carenne Special School has been rigged to produce a particular outcome, as with that earlier in 2009.

Staff allege that most casual staffing decisions are made by Simone Russell and Lee Churches, bypassing the principal, despite this being usual procedure.

It is time the Department of Education and Training has a close look at the farce that is staffing at Carenne Special School. It is a key tenet of public employment that appointments are to be based upon merit, staffing at Carenne Special School is instead based on nepocracy.

UPDATE: It has been revealed that Simone Russell, who has been accused on both this site and Sydney Indymedia of dishonest practices will be moving into a Student Learning Support Officer (teacher's aide) position this year after she trains her replacement School Administration Manager. The reasons for such a move are unknown at present.