I am writing regarding the article “Staffing review in Catholic schools” published in the Wangaratta Chronicle (9 September). The article reports that Catholic Education Sandhurst Limited (CESL) is reviewing staffing across its 52 schools, six early-learning centres and two specialist settings, including those in Wangaratta. However, it gives readers little indication of the potential scale of the changes or what they may mean for our local schools. This is particularly surprising given what has already been reported elsewhere. The Shepparton News reported that staff within CESL had been discussing cuts and voluntary redundancies. At Notre Dame College, a staff member said there would be at least a one-third reduction in Learning Support Officers and a 30 per cent reduction in leadership staffing. Catholic College Wodonga was reportedly reducing its support staff from 31 to 13. While these figures should not be assumed to apply to Wangaratta, they demonstrate the scale of staffing changes being considered within the same Catholic education system. It was important for the Chronicle to report CESL's explanation of its staffing review. However, I was disappointed that the article appeared to rely almost entirely on information and comments supplied by CESL, without presenting the views of those directly affected. Staff could have been approached, anonymously if necessary. Parents, particularly those whose children rely on learning support, could have been consulted. Individual Wangaratta schools could also have been asked what the proposed changes would mean at the local level. Instead, the article gives the impression that the principal issue is a still-unresolved review of LSO staffing. It states that LSO staffing is “currently under review” and that planning for 2027 “has not been finalised”. More concerning is that the article says nothing about proposed teacher redundancies. Galen Catholic College, for example, is one of Wangaratta's largest schools and a major local employer. I believe that up to nine teaching positions at Galen have been proposed for redundancy. It is true that proposed redundancies are not finalised redundancies. But that distinction does not make the proposals irrelevant. On the contrary, readers should have been told what CESL's staffing plans already meant at the local level. Without that information, the term “staffing review” gives a much less serious impression of what is actually being contemplated. There are important questions that remain unanswered. How many teaching and LSO positions are proposed to be lost across Wangaratta's Catholic schools? What effect will reduced staffing have on students and class sizes? How will children who currently receive LSO assistance be affected? What do the staff themselves, their union and parents have to say? CESL was also quoted as saying it was working towards bringing its staffing models closer to those in government and independent schools. That assertion deserved examination rather than simply repetition. What are the comparative staffing levels? In what areas does CESL believe it is overstaffed, and what evidence supports that conclusion? When local employment and the education and wellbeing of children are involved, the community deserves more than an organisation's explanation of its own decisions. Jeff Faithfull, Wangaratta Editor's Note: We share Mr Faithfull's concerns, and the Wangaratta Chronicle has reached out to staff likely to be impacted by such cuts but as yet no local staff members have been willing to speak publicly on the issue. The Chronicle has also sought more detail from schools and CESL on the extent of these likely cuts but as yet no detail has been forthcoming. The Chronicle will continue to pursue the issue, however, if any impacted staff members wished to comment they are encouraged to contact skerwin@nemedia.com.au. NFL gridiron fanfare overshadows AFL Channel 7, the AFL’s broadcast partner, has become a strong promoter of American football ‘gridiron’, and the AFL itself has openly supported the NFL’s push into Australia. It’s ironic, because the AFL is happy to call soccer “football”, yet avoids calling American football gridiron, even though AFL and gridiron are really just different types of rugby games. The AFL has been unhappy with rival sports in Victoria, first the football then NRL, and now American football gridiron was embraced by the AFL. With the NRL already staging a season opening round in the USA, the question is whether the AFL is preparing to follow them and launch its own American opener. If not, what’s left — a return to exhibition matches in China again? Roman Kaminski, Benalla
