Opposition To Proposed Education Board

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30496, 18 July 1964, Page 7

Opposition To Proposed Education Board

Submissions to the Minister of Education (Mr Kinsella) opposing the proposed creation of a new education board for Mid and South Canterbury and North Otago are to be prepared by a special committee set up yesterday by the Canterbury Education Board at its monthly meeting. The committee has power to discuss the matter with the Otago Education Board. A letter from Mr Kinsella was received by the Canterbury board at its meeting. The letter assured the board that all boards with views on the establishment of new boards would be given the opportunity to be heard. Three new boards are proposed, but the other two are in the North Island and so do not affect the Otago and Canterbury boards.

The meeting also received a letter from the secretarymanager of the Otago board (Mr W. A. J. Perry). Mr Perry was replying to a letter sent to him by the Canterbury board expressing concern over the proposed establishment of the South Canterbury board. Mr Perry said that outright opposition might not get very far, and some compromise might be necessary. He thought the main objective of the Education Boards Boundaries Commissioner (Mr G. N. Boulton) in proposing the change was to reduce the size of the Canterbury board’s dis-

trict, and the inclusion of North Otago in the proposal was simply to make the proposed new board an economic and workable proposition. Alternatives to the • proposal, Mr Perry said, might include the transfer of three schools in the Hakataramea district' from the Canterbury to the Otago board, or, as had already been suggested by his board, for South Canterbury schools as far north as Waimate to be taken over by the Otago board. The object of his board in making the latter proposal was not territorial gain but opposition to the creation of the new board.

Mr Spencer, in replying to Mr Perry, said his board was against any territorial changes, but if the committees of the three Hakataramea schools wanted to be transferred to the Otago board the Canterbury board would be favourable in its consideration.

The committee appointed by the Canterbury board comprised the chairman (Mr A. S. Murray), Mr Spencer, Mr G. L. Browne, Mr A. Manning, Mr E. S. Ayers, and the board member who will replace Mr G. Edgar as the result of the current education board elections.