The package will seek to encourage high-performing teachers to relocate to urban schools that are struggling with staff shortages or take up positions teaching chronically under-staffed subjects such as maths and science. It will also offer financial incentives to high-performing university graduates and people with experience in other careers to switch to teaching and be paid to learn on the job. The $244.6 million investment includes $93.9 million for regional and rural schools, announced by the government last month, which also featured large financial incentives for teachers willing to leave Melbourne to teach at hard-to-staff schools in the regions. Loading Mr Merlino said the package was the biggest ever investment in Victoria’s education workforce and would give hard-working teachers the support they deserve.

“Great teachers change lives,” he said. “That’s why we’re working so hard to attract the best people to teaching and supporting them to stay in our classrooms.” The package also includes $41.5 million to support the state’s best principals to take on its most difficult school leadership roles. More than 40 executive principals will be employed in the most difficult school leader roles at metropolitan schools. They will be helped by nine new turnaround teams. The package also features: $5.6 million to provide training to university graduates and people with experience in the workforce to learn on the job as a teacher, while simultaneously studying for postgraduate teaching qualifications at university.

$25.2 million to recruit and train learning specialists – highly skilled teachers who want to stay in class and support other teachers to improve – for every government school.

$68.4 million to extend programs for groups of teachers from different schools to collaborate to improve student outcomes.

One executive principal who is working to turn around poor outcomes at a state secondary school said financial incentives to attract quality teachers would help overcome difficulties hiring experienced and highly skilled staff. David Mowbray was appointed as executive principal at Traralgon College in the Latrobe Valley in 2017, after a review found the school had few positive attributes and was not well regarded in the community. Mr Mowbray said the low public perception was “probably justified”. “The behaviour of students both at the school and around town was seen as negative,” he said, “and we couldn’t retain students at school so there was a lot of absenteeism”. Enrolments had slumped from almost 1200 to fewer than 900 and the school’s effective teaching practice was rated in the bottom 4 per cent statewide.

Mr Mowbray was charged with reversing the struggling school’s fortunes with the help of a turnaround team. Loading He began with simple things: enforcing the school uniform standards and improving the offerings at the school canteen so students didn't head for local shops at lunchtime. An extra principal was hired to focus on the staff's teaching practices and development. Two years later, attendance is improving, as are NAPLAN and VCE results, and the school is attracting staff again.

The school's effective teaching practice is now in the 40th percentile. “In the year before I arrived we did have a lot of teachers leave the school and go to other schools, and now some of them are inquiring as to how they can get back,” Mr Mowbray said. “The word on the street as far as teachers go is this is a good place to be now. There is a lot of professional learning support for our staff.” Meredith Peace, Victorian branch president of the Australian Education Union, said the investment would be welcomed but that excessive workload remained the biggest deterrent for teachers and principals looking to take on more challenging roles. “We get feedback from aspiring principals and assistant principals about workload and the stress associated with the role of principal in a school,” Ms Peace said.

This would be relieved by hiring more teachers, beyond what is needed to meet demand, so teachers could spend more time teaching and less on administration and compliance, she said.