St Anne’s declined to comment but a teacher at Notre Dame College confirmed that staff cuts were discussed, with some support staff offered voluntary redundancies.
“There will be at least a third of reduction in LSOs [learning support officers] across the school,” the teacher said.
“In addition to those cuts, there will be a 30 per cent reduction in the school’s current leadership staffing structure in order to meet fiscal responsibility.”
The Border Mail confirmed that learning support cuts had already been made at Catholic College Wodonga, reducing the school’s support staff from 31 to 13, leaving parents concerned about the needs of neuro-diverse students.
Catholic Education Sandhurst oversees 52 schools and six early learning centres, supporting 15,300 students across Bendigo, Shepparton, Wangaratta and Wodonga.
The diocese has confirmed that its schools are working through planning and budgeting for 2027, with final decisions yet to be confirmed, as they factor in the 28.3 per cent teacher wage increase over the next four years.
“Careful work is under way to accommodate the upcoming enterprise bargaining agreement,” a CES spokesperson said.
“Learning support officer staffing is being reviewed in schools within the Sandhurst Diocese, including Greater Shepparton schools.
“We are working towards bringing our staffing models closer to those seen across government and independent schools, while ensuring support remains targeted to student needs.”
The spokesperson said they were working on keeping fee increases as low as possible, with any rises capped at 6.8 per cent in 2027.
“School fees are determined in response to the particular needs of each school and its community,” they said.
“Given the financial pressures on Catholic and independent systems, we are confident that our increases will remain reasonable by comparison.”
An education consultant and school reviewer, who did not want to be named, said the LSOs were “one casualty” across the diocese, with some schools told they must accept every student regardless of need, adding further strain on already stretched staff.
Class sizes are also expected to rise to a maximum of 28 students per class, while courses with fewer than 15 enrolments risk being scrapped.
The News understands that Year 12 classes at Notre Dame College are normally capped at 20 students, a policy designed to encourage better learning outcomes and help students achieve their maximum potential.
The impact is expected to be significant for students.
With fewer LSOs on hand, the Notre Dame teacher said they would be left managing bigger classes without the support for students with additional needs.
“Our LSOs have a special relationship with these students and CES is taking that away from them,” they said.
LSO appreciation week ran from Monday, August 31 to Friday, September 4, with the discussions of potential staff cuts coming just a week earlier.
This saw many parents and teachers take to Facebook groups to vent their frustrations after being left largely in the dark.
“I have a child with a diagnosed learning disability and I fought for months to get him the LSO support he so desperately needed ... we finally got the support and my child has never been happier, and now that could all be taken away,” one concerned parent wrote.
“I wish the people making these decisions could spend just one day in our shoes, actually walk beside us for a day,” a frustrated LSO commented to the group.
Another user posted: “In education, staffing should rightly be the largest component of the budget because teachers and staff, including LSOs, are the greatest investment a school makes.”
The education consultant and school reviewer said the desire for anonymity came from posters’ fear of repercussions if identified.
“I’ve got teachers that I’ve worked with in the past calling me in tears, they’re just so frightened,” they said.
“No-one can understand that this is where we’re at now.”
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