Financial Minestrone.

Tue Feb 3rd: temperature in the mid-thirties and again uncomfortable outside. Did not have yard duty so only went out for a few spot checks. Spotted a truck at lunch break about to drive across the playground (we have an extension project starting) and had to run to stop it. Needed a shower but tried to stand downwind of people until going home time!
One of the major differences between the two systems is the fact that here, all salaries, deductions and superannuation are paid directly by the school. The paperwork associated with it is immense and complicated. There are many different sources of funding ranging from regular wages to special ed to initiatives to drought relief to EMU ( I keep forgetting what that is:some form of funding for numeracy) to POL (i.e. POR) Column A, Column S, Column N and on and on and on... Some salaries are made up of a combination of two or three funding sources. All has to be done to keep within budget amounts and also other percentages and hours of work. This is a defacto seven teacher school but with others providing Reading Recovery, literacy support, numeracy support (EMU) specials (P.E., LOTE-Language Other Than English, P.A.-Performing Arts, Library) Teacher Aides and Integration Aides (SNAs). Some work one day, others two, others three and often wearing different caps-you get the picture. A draft budget has to submitted before the end of the school year and then a final budget at the beginning of the school year. When this budget is finalised it has to be entered into O.S.R (O.C.L.S.)with a breakdown of the hours that are got from each source of funding. You get the idea. The secretary Margaret (a gem) and I spent over two hours entering the data today. Queries will bounce back in the next few days and then we will finalise the input. Margaret has to write the checks for about sixteen people each week. This year we have two applications for Long Service Leave which adds even further to the financial minestrone. I have a headache even writing about it!