It has been revealed that Kambala principal, Debra Kelliher – whose resignation was announced on Monday – faced a massive no-confidence vote by 100 teachers in the lead-up to her decision to step down.
A number of parents were also said to have urged the school council to take action against Kelliher.
According to a letter distributed to parents by the Kambala Parents’ Association last week, the school has lost 135 staff members in three years.
The letter went on to say that the “gross unhappiness of the majority of the staff” meant many more were planning to leave.
“All of these people have put their careers and livelihoods on the line in an effort to be heard,” the letter stated.
“Surely it is an embarrassment to all of us in the community that Kambala treats its most prized asset [its teachers] so appallingly that they felt the need to do so – more embarrassing still – if nothing is done to rectify the situation immediately.”
The latest revelation follows a stoush which erupted in August last year between the school and several parents over Kambala’s employment of gay teachers, which parents said “did not live up to the school’s Christian values”.
Days later, the school council president, Sally Herman, responded with a firmly worded letter, outlining the school’s policy of non-discrimination and explaining that Kambala was respectful to all staff and students alike.
At the time, Kelliher threw her support behind Herman, penning a letter that reinforced that the school had a “contemporary, inclusive” culture.
Kambala’s school council president, Sally Herman, and outgoing principal, Debra Kelliher, have both been contacted for comment.
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