Lower grants to high schools

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33966, 6 October 1975, Page 16

Lower grants to high schools

A protest will be made to the Minister of Education (Mr Amos) by the Christchurch Secondary Schools’ Council about lower grants available to its member schools under a new formula established by the Department of Education.

The new formula would give the 17 schools in the council’s group 59938 less, a reduction of 3 per cent, at a time when inflation was running between 10 and 15 per eent, said the council's general manager (Mr P. J. Halligan).

Mr Amos had said that the new formula would increase the funds by about 13 pet cent, but that this amount applied to schools with a roll number of less than 555 pupils, Mr Halligan said. In Christchurch. 13 of the 17 member schools would receive less A school with 1200 pupils would receive at least $l3OO less, and a school with 2000 pupils, $3539 less.

Under the new formula, two grants will be made. One will cover the salaries of accounting and secretarial staff, and the other will be made for incidental teaching expenses. Under the previous system, these grants were mi de in a lump sum, with an advantage going to schools which had lower salary payments.

Mr Halligan said that while the schools had lost the I direct advantage of the counted’* services, there was less money available for the direct benefit of pupils.

The council and all member boards will press for the formula to be amended.