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September 3, 2026 \u2014 7:30pm<\/p>\n
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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n More than a dozen Catholic primary schools in Sydney\u2019s north shore and northern beaches will share their principal with another school in a move designed to keep fees low amid a sharp reduction in funding.<\/p>\n The Diocese of Broken Bay wrote to parents this week detailing how numerous principals would work across two schools under a leadership model which would boost collaboration with leaders to maintain a \u201cmeaningful presence\u201d in each school.<\/p>\n Schools set to share a principal:St Patrick\u2019s Catholic Primary School, AsquithSt Bernard\u2019s Catholic Primary School, BerowraSt Gerard\u2019s Catholic Primary School, CarlingfordOur Lady Help of Christians (OLHC), EppingOur Lady of Good Counsel, ForestvilleSt Martin\u2019s Catholic Primary School, DavidsonSt John the Apostle Catholic Primary School, NarraweenaSt Kevin\u2019s Catholic Primary School, Dee WhyMaria Regina Catholic Primary School, AvalonSacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Mona ValeSt Rose Catholic Primary School, CollaroySt Joseph\u2019s Catholic Primary School, NarrabeenSt Mary\u2019s Catholic Primary School, ManlySt John the Baptist Catholic Primary School, Freshwater<\/p>\n But the union representing Catholic school teachers has trashed the move, saying it effectively means each school will have a \u201cpart-time\u201d leader while questions around staffing remain unanswered.<\/p>\n Parents at St Martin\u2019s in Davidson were among the schools told on Tuesday about the principal-sharing proposal, informed that their school leader Cathy Gualtieri would also start working across Our Lady of Good Counsel in Forestville from next month. St Martin\u2019s had 136 students last year while Our Lady of Good Counsel had 282.<\/p>\n \u201cIn this shared leadership role, Cathy will maintain a meaningful presence across both school communities, working closely with students, staff and families at each site,\u201d Diocese of Broken Bay director of schools Danny Casey said in the letter.<\/p>\n He assured parents that sharing the principal would benefit from strong on-site leadership teams while each school would retain its \u201cunique identity\u201d.<\/p>\n Speaking to this masthead, Casey said 14 smaller primary schools are expected to share a principal ranging from Manly to Avalon as well as schools further north to Berowra.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got to make sure the investment is in the students and not in unnecessary, perhaps, areas of leadership,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n New rules around school funding introduced five years ago<\/a> began considering parents\u2019 taxable income and their capacity to contribute to school fees. Casey said as a result, the diocese saw a $90 million reduction in funding every year, particularly in Sydney\u2019s north, a small fraction of which has been partially offset by the government\u2019s choice and affordability funding.<\/p>\n Casey said the funding situation made the viability of smaller schools \u201cvery difficult to maintain\u201d.<\/p>\n Related Article He said the $90 million reduction in funding was equivalent to about $5000 per student.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the question for parents [is]: would you like to pay $5000 more, or would you like to go with an arrangement that\u2019s proven to be very successful in other settings?\u201d<\/p>\n He said in most cases it aligned one principal with each parish\u2019s two schools, and mirrored arrangements in other dioceses which had worked successfully.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have an unshakable belief that the very best outcomes for learning occur with a teacher in the classroom, not in the boardroom.\u201d<\/p>\n He said parents could voice concerns and vowed that staff would \u201cring each person individually\u201d to make sure we understand exactly what their concern is and make sure it was fully addressed.<\/p>\n President of Parents and Friends Association at St John\u2019s The Apostle in Narraweena, Chantelle Lewis, said they were never warned they faced losing a full-time principal.<\/p>\n \u201cParents deserve transparency. We pay school fees that increase each year, we are key stakeholders in our children\u2019s education, and we expect to be treated as such,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n She said there was a single consultation at her school in October 2025 but a shared leadership model was never presented or discussed.<\/p>\n \u201cThe understanding is that staff were not consulted either, despite several staff development days this year. If this is a significant new model being rolled out across schools, you would expect meaningful engagement with those most affected the students, parents and teachers.\u201d<\/p>\n She said significant restructures \u201cdon\u2019t happen overnight\u201d and parents now wanted to hear from Catholic schools leadership about why this had not happened.<\/p>\n \u201cOur parent community have expressed a total lack of confidence about future dealings with Catholic Schools Broken Bay,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Independent Education Union of Australia NSW\/ACT branch secretary Carol Matthews issued a statement on Wednesday afternoon, saying the union \u201ccannot see how this restructuring will benefit anyone\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Matthews said the employer had not consulted the union about the impacts of the shared principal proposal when it made this decision.<\/p>\n \u201cFor example, we do not know whether staffing at affected schools will be increased to compensate for the loss of a full-time principal and how principals will perform their role across two schools,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n It comes after the Diocese of Broken Bay, which stretches from the north shore to the Central Coast, announced changes to 13 schools, including closing St Cecilia\u2019s primary school at Balgowlah<\/a> and merging it with St Kieran\u2019s at Manly Vale last year.<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"Catholic](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/017c06d4a0999ab1843a9836727ff61977080c35.jpeg\")
Catholic Schools Broken Bay director of schools Danny Casey. <\/p>\n![\"Sarah](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/c1f08992e0011aa9840fb91e7c82ba2a692eb544.jpeg\")
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