Staff turnover at Katherine's only public high school has been dubbed a 'revolving door' with, according to the Australian Education Union NT (AEUNT), the school losing one teacher per week at the start of 2021.

"It is incredibly disappointing for the Katherine community as a whole to hear that the principal of Katherine High School has resigned just 18 months into the job," Ms Hersey said.

"In recent times, the staff turnover has been high and information I've received is that the school has not had a full complement of staff for a whole year.

"Feedback I've received is that the high turnover of staff stems from staff not being supported, as well as issues with teacher housing."

Given how central the school is to the community, the ongoing exit of staff is a serious concern for residents.

"Katherine High School is central to the local community and issues impacting the school impacts the wider public," Ms Hersey added.

"I've had families tell me they're considering leaving at the end of the year because of the lack of staff and equitable education at Katherine High School.

"The community is feeling disappointed and let down. The government's recruitment process is not as robust as it should be given the difficulties faced by education to attract and retain senior staff."

Ms Hersey said in an attempt to retain teachers, a stronger recruitment process should be enacted.

"Katherine High School needs a robust recruitment process, looking at the complexities of the students' needs. We need a strong leader in the new principal, someone invested in our community, who can change the morale and tackle the current challenges with the school," she proclaimed.

"The new principal needs to be supported in their role to build confidence with students and the wider community."

In a story published by the Katherine Times late last month, AEUNT president Jarvis Ryan said the Katherine High School faculty recently submitted two petitions calling for the reinstatement of the rental subsidy, and the return of their school-based police officer.

"Katherine High School is one of the most challenging environments in Northern Territory Education therefore it's very important in selecting a replacement principal that the departments finds an experienced and capable principal," Mr Ryan recently told the Katherine Times.

"And furthermore that there is lots of support provided by the education department to set that individual up for success and to create a better pathway for the school."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: