Colleges who refuse to join the Premier’s failing Tasmania Tomorrow experiment are being denied new computers and increased Internet speed.

Yesterday the Premier threatened teachers who refused to join his failed experiment, now we find that Colleges who don’t join are being punished with inferior resources.

Rosny College, which has voted not to join the Tasmania Tomorrow experiment next year, has been told it will now not get 100 new computers previously allocated and, as a consequence, has had to freeze its capital equipment purchases to ensure it can at least pay its electricity and heating accounts.

Rather than concede that his experiment is hurting rather than helping our students, Mr Bartlett has resorted to bullying, threatening and blackmailing our teachers and colleges into joining the new system.

Mr Bartlett must immediately withdraw his repugnant threat to teachers, and in addition agree that Colleges who chose not to join his latest educational experiment won’t be punished with inferior or lesser resources.

See email below.

From: Fox, Robin W
Sent: Friday, 16 October 2009 11:48 AM
To: Rosny College – All People
Subject: Budget Planning 2009-2010
Importance: High

Budgets 2009-2010

Important Message

As mentioned at GSM, due to our delayed transition into PY10, our budget planning has now radically altered. The prime focus for 2010 will be ensuring our recurrent funding priorities are met i.e. classroom materials, books etc so our teaching and learning programs function as normal.

In terms of IT we will now not receive the 100 computers tied to the PY10 planning nor the increased Internet bandwith/speed. We will therefore have to re-think our IT funding plan. Our IT focus will have to be on actual computers and their associated support as distinct from AV equipment like IWB’s etc.

Capital equipment purchases are frozen until we have more definite information e.g. enrolment numbers, carry over funds etc.

We must ensure we have funds in bank over January/February to pay our accounts e.g. Aurora.

The process will be transparent and we will use our current groups i.e. Resource Executive (overview /recommendations) and submissions to the Resource Committee. The measures to be taken will not be knee jerk but will require firm, and perhaps even unpopular, decisions.

Robin

Robin Fox

Principal

Rosny College
Sue Napier MP Shadow Minister for Education