CANTERBURY EDUCATION BD.

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 October 1934, Page 5

CANTERBURY EDUCATION BD.

STATUS OF SCHOOL. A lively discussion, lasting over an hour, took place at last week’s meeting of the Canterbury Education Board, on a motion by Mr R. Wild to rescind a previous resolution of the Board, that the West Christchurch District High School be raised to a High School. Mr Wild said that the school was operating successfully and satisfactorily. A change in status would entail a change in staff. The staff had no hardships more than other District High Schools, and their salaries were reasonable as compared with other branches of public employment. The salary scale of the highest-paid teacher was £720 a year and the lowest male teacher £316, which if raised to the status of a High School, these

salaries would be £9OO down to £363. The Commissioner of .Lands received £787/10/-, Commissioner of Taxes £787/10/-, City Magistrates £787, Commissoiner. of Police £748, Inspectors of Schools, on whom depend the position on the grading list of all our primary teachers £538, and it was improper, therefore, to raise the salary of the West Christchurch principal from £720 to £9OO. The junior masters at £316 are reasonably paid compared with first-class engine drivers, who can only attain that position after 20 years’ service, and then get £255, and mental hospital charge attendants also requiring 20 years’ service to attain, their position, who gets £213 to £2126,. less £2O for meal's while on duty. Seeing that the State paid 37 per cent, of the teachers’ superannuation fund, this is equal to an addition of 2 per cent, to their salary. While the payment to Boards and Committees for administration of primary schools is, in round figures, 13/- per .pupil, in the High School it is 44/8 per pupil. While the , average classes in secondary schools are 22.4 per teacher, there are in the primary schools 386 classes of 51 and over—some classes over 60. The letter circulated to Board members by the West Christchurch Committee, comparing the staffing of West Christchurch/ with other District High Schools under the Board’s control was as unreasonable as it would be were Sydenham, with 907 pupils, to claim a teacher for each 19 pupils because Albury with 38 pupils has two teachers. The control of higher education in Christchurch was under the Canterbury College Board of Governors, and for this Board to say that a certain school shall be made a high school without knowing their intentions as to whether and where one should be established was improper. Continuing, Mr Wild said that West Christchurch has disabilities is recognised, but so had all our District High and our Primary schools, and it was most unfair to increase the cost of West Christchurch by some £2OOO a year, at the cost of our other schools. Improved conditions can better be secured by negotiation. More elastic conditions regarding equipment, payment on roll number as in secondary schools are two items they should work together for, but do not let us tail in behind the professor, the adored of Christchurch, who said New Zealand should spend fifty millions, if necessary, on education. Mr Benstead, Mr Smith, and Mr Banks supported the recision, which, however, was lost by six votes to four, the Chairman saying that since the school was doing the same work it was entitled to the same privileges as other High Schools.