Schools ‘taken to cleaners

Press, 30 August 1989, Page 4

Schools ‘taken to cleaners

PA Wellington Schools and communities have been taken to the cleaners by the Education Department over school funding, the Primary Teachers’ Union conference was told yesterday.

Communities will have to pick up millions of dollars of under-funding, the New Zealand Educational Institute’s finance committee chairman, Mr Neville Lambert, said. Mr Lambert, who is a member of the Government’s advisory working group on funding under education reform said: "The yesterday men of the Department of Education ensuring their tomorrow positions are responsible for this.” School inspectors’ work covering teacher grading, discipline and appointments annually cost $l3 million. School boards of trustees had to do this from next year and “not one cent” of money would they get to do it, Mr Lambert said. In-service teacher training cost $13.5 million but next year boards would get $7 million. The savings trumpeted by the Picot report from disbanding education boards were not happen-

ing, nor coming to schools. There was over $370 million of deferred maintenance but the department had allocated $5 million for the next five years. “The department has dropped a huge burden on communities and schools,” Mr Lambert said.

Some school budgets for next year would be 20 per cent under-funded and schools were being told this was fair and equitable.

Mr Lambert said primary teachers and the community would have to fight for money to run their schools. The union has resolved to take action to make sure the Government funds schools properly. What form the action would take was still being decided. Teachers believe 9.6 per cent increase in next year’s education vote will be swallowed by the new administration structures.