MOTUEKA SCHOOL

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 9 April 1945, Page 2

MOTUEKA SCHOOL

HOUSEHOLDERS’ MEETING NO COMMITTEE ELECTED INCREASED CAPITATION GRANT SOUGHT A meeting of householders for the purpose of electing a school committee for the period ending 30th April, 1946, was held in the District High School, Motueka. Thirty-three persons were present. The meeting was made necessary by the resignation of the whole committee recently as it was considered that the capitation grant was insufficient to meet the cost of a full time Janitor and other essential expenditure. However none of those present would accept nomination f°r the new committee. The meeting resolved to request t|je Nelson Education Board to ask all the other boards in New Zealand to support an appeal t® the Government for an increase in the capitation grants. BOARD’S VIEWPOINT Mr F. A. Hamilton representing the Nelson Education Board stated that it had become necessary to call a meeting as the previous committee had tendered its resignation which had been accepted by the board. Fair and reasonable explanation of the events leading up to the present stote of affairs, h e said, would be put before the meeting, and while the matter might prove controversial it was a question that required serious consideration by all concerned. The welfare of the children and the furtherance oi their interests should be kept uppermost in the minds of those present and personal feelings should be outweighed in order that the best facilities could be given the children. Mr Hamilton said that for evidence of the importance of the district as far as the Education Department was concerned, and as an outcome of representations made by past committees, one had only to look at the new school buildings erected during the war period. Particularly was this so as the school possessed an assembly hall and was as well equipped as any school in the Dominion. It now rested with the new committee to do justice to what had been given the district in educational facilities. The success of the s'hool depended on the co-operation of all concerned —the parents, committee, headmaster and staff. "I am satisfied,” added Mr Hamilton, "that this district can elect a strong school committee which will carry out its work worthily and satisfy everybody.”

FORMER CHAIRMAN’S REPORT Mr N. J. Lewis was elected chairman for the evening after which Mr Hamilton read a statement on behalf of the board. He also apologised for the absence of Mr H. J. Thornton, secretary of the board, who was unable to be present. Mr A. L. Vickerman, former chairman of the Motueka School Committee, presented a report which dealt with the difficulties the committee had had to face and the facts leading up to its ultimate decision to resign. In reply to a question as to the position of a committee which got into debt in carrying out its obligations to the school Mr Hamilton said the board would not let a committee down. He pointed out that the schools in the board’s district were classified and that 11 required the services of a full time janitor. Mr Vickerman stated that there had been good workers pn the Motueka committee and that capitation monies had been spent for the purposes for which they had been intended. The committee, he said, had had to draw on the special account to meet deficiencies in the general account. . He did not think the public should be called upon to provide money for essential school services. The committee had had no quarrel with the Education Board; it was simply a policy affair. The board had evidently lost sight of the fact that expenses of school committees during recent years had increased considerably. Mr Hamilton pointed out that the wages of a janitor would absorb £247 of the committee’s money and £IOO would be left over for other purposes. Mr Lewis remarked that on the figures submitted the committee would require £9O and not £SO per annum as a special grant. CONFIDENCE IN PAST COMMITTEE A motion moved by Mr E. L. Glover and seconded by Mr G. M. Smith “that this meeting of householders express confidence in the late school committee and approval of its action,” was carried. Mr Vickerman, after tendering thanks for the vote of confidence in the committee, said the school warranted a full-time janitor at a decent living wage. The committee could not go buck and carry on unless sufficient funds were guaranteed to pay a janitor and other essential commitments. Mr G. W. Manifold appealed to the members of the old committee to allow themselves to be nominated and to carry on for the remainder of the period. Any deficiency, he thought would be willingly met by the public. The chairman called for nominations and several members of the old committee were proposed but each in turn declined to accept office. Mr G. H. Gubbins, headmaster, said that whatever had been done by the committee had been for the children. He realised that committees were experiencing great difficulty in making ends meet these days. He proposed to call a meeting of parents and teachers with a view to forming a Home and School Association as he considered that parents and teachers were partners in making good citizens of the children. The burden of raising funds should, he thought, not be wholly borne by the school committee as this was one of the functions of an association. A motion of appreciation to the Nelson Education Board for what it had done for the Motueka school was passed by the meeting. As it was found impossible to elect a committee under existing circumstances the following resolution was carried on the motion of Mr A. L. Kirk and Miss L. Ingram:—“That this meeting of householders of Motueka, having had placed before it the fact that insufficient monies are available for the maintenance of the essential services of the school from the funds made available by the Education Board, requests the Ward representative on the Nelson Education Board to place the matter before it, asking that the board sponsor an appeal to the Government by all Education Boards for an increase in the capitation grants, which have remained static for many years.”