The depth of community opposition to the O'Farrell Government's $1.7-billion cuts to education spending was on show at a rally in Wollongong yesterday.
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More than 500 school and TAFE teachers, parents, students and supporters gathered at MacCabe Park for Community Day of Action, which coincided with other rallies across the state.
The event had the feel of a community picnic, but the message from teachers and students was serious.
"It will mean that schools will be forced to do more with less, they won't have the expertise in regional offices to call on, and as budgets are constrained principals will have to decide what they have to do without, rather than having greater investment," NSW Teachers Federation regional organiser Nicole Calnan said.
"The effects that the budget cuts will have on TAFEs ... are certainly very much a concern, particularly given the high youth unemployment rate that we have in the Illawarra."
Reports yesterday afternoon said the government was standing firm on the changes, which would include cutting 600 support positions in state and regional education offices, 800 TAFE positions, and 400 school administration positions.
Woonona High School head maths teacher Natasha Watt argued school students would be the worst affected, in particular by changes to the way in which schools were funded.
She argued principals might be forced to drop services like counselling, careers advice or extension subjects.
"If we can't afford to staff the curriculum then we can't afford those others services and it's those other services that can make a comprehensive school exist as comprehensive," she said.
"When it becomes a pack, rack and stack model then that's what teachers are forced to deliver.
"But the outcome that goes with that is that students suffer, because some students cope in pack, rack and stack but a lot of kids don't."
NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli yesterday said there were now 520 more teachers in NSW public schools than in late 2011.
"The government has been clear that savings in public education are coming from efficiencies in the back office and will not affect students in schools," he said.
"The savings announced include measures like limiting travel for bureaucrats, reducing the number of external consultants the department engages and scaling back procurement in head office."
