SCHOOL GRADING

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 26 June 1924, Page 7

SCHOOL GRADING

BASIS OF STAFFING AVERAGE ROLL OR ATTKDANCE MINISTERIAL STATEMENT The Minister of Education has been repeatedly requested to substitute the average roll for the average attendance ns a basis on which to grade the schools for the purposes of staffing, and the payment of allowances to* school committees. The Minister yesterday made a statement for publication, setting out the position from the Government’s point of view. 'J lie Minister states:— 1. One of the main reasons why the average attendance basis is desirable is to secure regular attendance of children at school. In New Zealand this is. probably the highest in the world, averaging for the whole Dominion, including all classes of schools even in the backblocks, 90 per cent of The roll number. 2. The Department, when calculating the scales of staffs, or salaries, or incidental allow mces, of school committees, or schooi accommodation, or any scale computed on the number of children in tile school, recognises that the real roll number is one-ninth more than the average attendance, and all calculations, are made accordingly. 3. If the weekly 101 l number were taken as a basis instead of the average attendance, the Department, in making its calculations, would he compelled to recognise that this was about one-ninth higher than the old basis, the average attendance, and in order to keep the expenditure tho same as at present would modify its. scales accordingly*. Thus no real benefit would rcsiilt and we would to some extent lose the incentive for securing the full attendance of pupils. 4. In demanding that the average weekly roll be made the basis for calculating staffs and allowances, teachers and committees no doubt have tile idea that they, can• keep the existing scales in which the steps from one grade of school to another are forty in average 1 attendance, but if this were done it j would be an indirect way of increasing 1 the costs of salaries, staffs, and school accommodation, and incidental allowances. The total increase in expenditure would be about £160,000 per annum.

5. As a matter of fact, however, the steps in the grades would have to he made about 44 in roll number in ordet to avoid the increased expenditure, and it would he found that the schools, in general, would derive no benefit.

6. One great defect of the proposal to adopt the weekly roll number would be that the reckoning of staffs and salaries and all other calculations would be benefited just as much by a pupil who attended only half a day in a week as by* the attendance of u pupil who made ten half-diy attendances.

7. Further, it must be pointed out that it is distinctly misleading to the public to state that teachers arc paid on average attendance. This conveys the impression that the tea Aeis’ salaries fluctuate with the regular or irregular attendance of the children and are affected by epidemics and severe weather conditions. The statement is, however, only half a truth, for a teacher is paid according to his position in the school, and this position is determined by the grade of ttie school, which is based on The average at tendance. But once a teacher is appointed to a position of av certain grade no fluctuation of attendance and no epidemic or unusual stress of weather can possibly affect his salary: 8- Under the present regulations ample provision is made by various concessions for epidemics and severe weather conditions, and the Department meets all cases liberally, for example: (a) averages for quarters affected bv epidemics or severe weather conditions are excluded in calculating the average attendance; (b) attendance on half-days below half the roll number are also excluded ; (c) due provision is made for maintaining the staff and for increasing the staff where circumstances are exceptional; (d) indeed, the grading of the school, and consequently the staff may be fixed for a whole year on the basis of the average attendance for two quarters, and even one quarter, and the Department would like to know of any case where the salary of a teacher has been affected by the average attendance- where that teacher has not declined an offer of trails- i fer to another position. j In conclusion, since teachers’ salaries are not reduced by a fall in the attend-, unco and adequate provision is made for additional staffing in exceptional cases, it is difficult- to see wliat is going to be gained by substituting the average roll for the average attendance—a change tl at would entail the reorganisation of the present system and involving the Department in a- considerable amount of additioiuil work in drawing up new scales for staffing and allowances.