SCHOOL COMMITTEES

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 14, 11 October 1927, Page 10

SCHOOL COMMITTEES

MEETING OF ASSOCIATION

At the monthly meeting of the Wellington School Committees’ Association held last night, Mr. A. Parlane presiding, it was decided to urge upon the Education Board the urgent necessity for the appointment of a fulltime truancy officer to investigate the reasons for’ the non-attendance of children at school.

It was resolved to support the Otago School Committees’ Association in asking the Education Boards to support a recommendation to the Department, that the . forwarding of voluntary contributions’ to the boards by committees be dispensed with in all. cases where the money had to be refunded to the committees.

Replying to questions, Mr. B. Anderson, delegate from the Headmasters' Association, said the appointment of Mr. E. D. Taylor as director of music in schools had the hearty approval and support of flu’s association. The Dominion was exceedingly ‘'ortunate in securing a man of Mr. Tayler’s attainments. Mr. Anderson said the Headmasters’ Association was opposed on principle to the holding of school concerts to rflise funds for school purposes, though it would offer no objection to any individual headmaster organising a concert for such a purpose. The Parents and Teachers’ Association of the Kelburn Normal School wrote stating that it had decided to affiliate with the School Committees’ Association. The appointed delegates, Messrs. J. O. Priestley and E. H Harlen, were formally welcomed.

The Hataitai School Committee wrote stating that it did not desire to become affiliated to the association. It was decided to make further representations to the Hataitai, Khandallah, Kaiwarra, Ngaio, and Brooklyn School Committees, which were not members of the association. A deputation was appointed to wait on them in regard to the matter. A letter was received from the Minister of Education stating that the association’s resolution, that school committees should be elected fof two years, and that half the committee should retire annually to be eligible for re-election, would receive careful consideration.

The vice-president, Mr. L. Hennessey, was appointed as the representative of the association at a meeting of the Association for the Advancement of Education, to be held on October 20, to discuss "the proposed abolition of the Education Boards. Would it mean centralisation?” It was decided that Mr. Hennessey would be free to express his own individual view, and would not commit the association to any definite policy.