Parents "should plan now" for South Australia's first public schools teachers' strike in 10 years, the Australian Education Union says.

Key points: Votes on strike action will be accepted until next Monday

Votes on strike action will be accepted until next Monday The union's main claims are around conditions rather than pay

The union's main claims are around conditions rather than pay The Government argues it is spending $515 million more on schools

Teachers are voting this week on whether to walk off the job next Thursday morning, November 29.

AEU state president Howard Spreadbury said enterprise bargaining agreement negotiations started at the beginning of the year and the State Government had rejected almost all of the union's demands.

In particular, the union wants reduced class sizes, more resources for special-needs children, more incentives for teachers to work in the country and more permanency for workers.

"They want to take these matters out of the next enterprise agreement whilst asserting to us that they're not intending to cut funding," Mr Spreadbury said.

"But this is very much a 'trust us' attitude in terms of not having them secured around the enterprise agreement."

Demands the Government had said yes to were "safe places" for activities such as breastfeeding, domestic violence leave, and removing a teaching component for all principals.

"There's no immediate money around the matters that really matter to our members," Mr Spreadbury said.

The Government has yet to put forward a pay offer.

The ballot closes next Monday and the result will be known the next day.

Rally planned for half-day strike

Mr Spreadbury said parents "should plan now" for schools to be closed next Thursday morning, and arrange childcare if necessary.

"Parents should be planning in advance for the likelihood of stop-work action on the 29th," he said.

"In terms of any inconvenience, I think parents need to understand one half-day of inconvenience is far outweighed by a lack of funding to their students."

The union plans to hold a rally during the strike.

Treasurer Rob Lucas said the State Government was increasing education funding by $515 million over the next three years.

He said the union should give more notice for strikes.

"At least parents and grandparents and the like would have more knowledge of what's going on," he said.



Mr Spreadbury said most of the extra money was going into infrastructure such as new schools in Adelaide's southern and northern suburbs and in Whyalla rather than towards teachers' conditions.

Mr Lucas said the money would go "to pay for salaries, to pay for extra teachers, to pay for conditions in schools".

"Then there's quite a separate budget where again there's a massive increase in capital works and renovations on schools and school premises," he said.

The State Government is also facing industrial action from prison officers concerned about plans to privatise the Adelaide Remand Centre.

Public school teachers last went on strike in 2008, demanding a 21 per cent pay rise over three years.