Resource Teachers: Literacy

Funding

Salary | Establishment grant | Administration grant | Travel grant | Heating, lighting, water, and building maintenance

Salary

The RT:Lit is paid on the resource teachers' salary scale at their current qualification and step level.

Each RT:Lit who has completed or is undertaking the approved RT:Lit training programme receives a salary unit. Failure to complete the programme satisfactorily results in the loss of the salary unit unless the Ministry, in consultation with the training provider, has approved an exemption.

Each RT:Lit counts for 0.05 FTTE management time allowance.

Establishment grant

When a position for an RT:Lit is first attached to a school, there is an initial setting-up and attachment grant of $2,000 to help with the cost of purchasing (or removing) furniture, a telephone, and other equipment.

Administration grant

The annual administration grant for 2003 is $2,643 per RT:Lit position. The grant is paid to the host school on a quarterly basis as part of the regular operational funding instalments. The grant helps the management committee meet the administration costs for the RT:Lit, for their professional development, and for new resource materials. The Ministry will advise the host school and the RT:Lit of the amount each year. Heating, power, lighting, cleaning, and building maintenance are not deducted from this grant.

Travel grant

Every RT:Lit position attracts an annual travel grant. The Ministry will advise the host school and the RT:Lit of the amount each year. It is up to the management committee to determine how this funding will be allocated and the operating systems that they will use.

Host schools are funded for the expenses incurred by RT:Lits who travel in the course of their duties, including those incurred for professional development. RT:Lits are reimbursed for approved travel. Travel reimbursement rates are specified in the Primary Teachers' Collective Employment Agreement. The rates are intended to cover the overall travel costs, including the RT:Lit's insurance.

If a management committee considers that an application for increased travel funding is necessary, it can apply through the regional or local office of the Ministry of Education. The management committee will need to provide evidence of:

• total cluster travel expenditure for the previous year and the current year to date
• the number of kilometres travelled in the previous year and predicted for the current year
• the level of additional funding requested
• whether the expenditure to date is inclusive or exclusive of GST.

The management committee should demonstrate that the RT:Lit service is being delivered in an effective and economical manner.

The Ministry's local office will forward each application, along with their recommendation, to the Resourcing Division of the Ministry of Education, which is responsible for approving and notifying any increases. The instructions for applying for changes in travel grants are on the Ministry's website at http://www.minedu.govt.nz/goto/resourcingforms

Heating, lighting, water, and building maintenance

Funding for heating, lighting, water, and building maintenance is part of the regular operations grant funding. It is not included in the Administration Grant provided for RT:Lits.