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Hello, I want to take this opportunity to update on the most recent change we've made as part
of the Local Schools, Local Decisions reforms.
From today all principals in NSW can choose to play a bigger role in the annual planned
maintenance projects in their school.
Planned maintenance is the work carried out in schools each year based on condition
assessments and through the principals' local knowledge.
It includes things like painting, replacing carpets, repaving external areas, repairing
roofs and upgrading sewers and storm water drains.
At the moment, the department pays a management fee to NSW Public Works to deliver the
planned maintenance projects. You will now be able to save on this management fee because
we have reduced the number of people involved in the process. Decisions will now be made
faster and acted upon sooner.
The Local Schools, Local Decisions reforms are all about increasing local decision-making
while still enjoying the advantages as a large system of public schools.
We want to make sure you get the best value, and we want to make sure that more say does
not just mean more work for principals.
So while you will have increased say in planned maintenance in your school, the contractual
responsibilities will be managed for you by your local Asset Management Unit.
Schools are an important part of the local community. We want schools to build strong and
effective partnerships with local businesses and service providers.
You can nominate your local contractor to the department's facilities maintenance
contractors (FMC) to do work in your school.
The maintenance contractor will then carry out checks to make sure that the local contractor
is qualified or licenced, has working with children clearance and has work health and
safety management processes.
If the local contractor qualifies, the maintenance contractor will include the person on
their sub-contractor panel to do work in your school.
In addition to selecting and deciding on your annual planned maintenance projects,
school principals will also approve the facilities maintenance contractor's quote as
well as negotiate suitable timeframes for work to occur in your school.
You'll also get to inspect completed work and you only have to accept the work
if you are happy with it.
This is a great change for our schools and their community.
In keeping with the changes we are making under Local Schools, Local Decisions, we are
not imposing a one size fits all approach to this change. Each school principal in
consultation with their community can choose how much or how little they would like to
change about the planned maintenance at their school. Some schools and their communities
may want to continue with the current annual planned maintenance processes. And that is fine.
We have supplied a set of guidelines that are easy to access and written in simpler
terms for ease of understanding.
A step by step approach has been used to take principals through the new changes.
All of these are available on the Local Schools, Local Decisions website.
As usual, if you have any questions, please go to the website for a response
from the Schools Implementation Team.
There is a collection of responses in the FAQ section of the website.
I look forward to keeping you updated on the reforms that will occur as
part of Local Schools, Local Decisions throughout the year.