Principals reach out to parents, say schools will be open with supervision arrangements
HINTERLAND schools will remain open during this Wednesday’s (August 6) statewide teachers’ strike, though classes will be disrupted and assessments rescheduled as staff walk off the job.
Members of the Queensland Teachers’ Union (QTU) will take 24-hour stop work action in protest over stalled enterprise bargaining negotiations with the Department of Education.
In Glasshouse Country and Maleny, schools including Beerwah State High School, Maleny State High School, Beerwah State School, Landsborough State School and Glass House Mountains State School are all expected to remain open.
However, school leaders have warned that many staff will be off-site, normal classes may not run, and supervision-only arrangements will be in place for students.
Beerwah State High School acting principal Scott Siddell told parents that “most teachers will not be attending school”.
“There will be a significantly reduced number of school staff onsite during this day of industrial action,” he said. “The school will remain open but will provide supervision only.”
At Maleny State High School, principal Deborah Stewart said the strike would interrupt planned assessments.
“We are aware that there are exams and assignments scheduled for Wednesday,” she said. “Staff are rescheduling these and this will be communicated via the Assessment Planner and through class updates.”
She said while it was not yet clear how many staff would participate, “arrangements have been made to ensure students are supervised”.
Glass House Mountains State School principal Ian Persini issued a similar statement, noting that “some teachers will not be attending school… as part of a statewide strike”.
“While there will be a reduced number of school staff onsite… arrangements have been made to ensure students are supported,” he said. “The school will remain open during this time, though normal classes are likely to be disrupted.”
All three schools stressed that the safety and wellbeing of students remained the highest priority.
The QTU says more than 90 per cent of Queensland state schools are expected to be affected by the strike with about 36,000 teachers taking part.
The union is calling for action on teacher workloads, pay and staffing shortages, claiming government proposals so far have failed to address key concerns. Negotiations with the QTU were continuing.
Education Minister John Paul Langbroek says the government’s offer—3% pay rises in 2025 followed by 2.5% in 2026 and 2027, plus additional planning time and incentives—is fair. He assured parents that student safety remains the priority, with schools to stay open and supervision provided during the strike.