School building cuts predicted

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32587, 22 April 1971, Page 14

School building cuts predicted

The Canterbury Education Board will ask for an early indication of the finance that will be available for its 1971-72 building programme.

At its meeting yesterday the board expressed concern at the reductions likely to be made in the programme as a result of a recent statement by the Minister of Education (Mr Taiboys) on school build-

ing programmes. The general-manager of the board (Mr D. Wilson) said that it was not yet clear how the Minister of Education’s

announcement would affect the building grant in its widest sense.

The Department of Education has advised the board that the provision of extra classrooms to meet the needs of the one teacher to 35 pupils . staffing schedule had been deferred at the Oxford and Hawarden district high schools and the Geraldine primary ; school. In addition, approval ;lto call tenders for similar accommodation for the Loburn J school had been deferred. HALL SUBSIDIES

Subsidies for assembly halls for the Woolston and Quinns Road schools could not be approved and an application by the board to call tenders for a similar project at the Ham school had been deferred.

“Members only have to hear this to know that the brakes are well and truly on,” the chairman of the board’s building committee (Mr A. A. Manning) said. ‘UNFAIR’ Mr R. W. Sansom: “These deferments make it unfair for the school committee concerned. Postponement for another year will only mean increased costs and then these committees will have to go out and raise more money.” Mr Wilson said that only the building finance alloca-

tion was known definitely, there could be some chance of the assembly hall plans being able to proceed.

“This notice of allocations should be given urgently," Mr Manning said.