H. B. Education Board.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5629, 26 November 1889, Page 4

H. B. Education Board.

THE BONUS QUESTION.

At the laat meeting of the Board the following discussion took place : — The Chairman said the secretary had raised question of bonus. Hitherto the bonus had formed a considerable item in the teachers' income, and the position was that unless more funds were given, of which there did not seem much probability, to the building fund, there was no other way of recouping the building fund than by taking the money to the credit of the school fund. Mr Sidney : It will not be sufficient. Mr Tanner : It was not fair to take the bonus funds. The colony ought to provide the building fund. Mr Sidney said when salaries were reduced by all other Boards there was no reduction here, but intimation was given that there would not be any bonus if funds did not admit. Mr Tanner : This is two different branches. Mr Harding : No, no. Mr Tanner : Yet the Government take LfiOOO from the building fund rather than increase the general schoo. omount. Mr Harding said the district was increasing much more rapidly than any other district. He thought it better to i pay the bonus for this year, and revise the salaries for next year. Mr Sidey : It will come awkward if the Bank asks us to pay the overdrrft. The Chairman said the Bank had intimated that they would require the account to be put in funds. So long as the two accounts were balanced, they made no fuss. They had had several intimations that the account was not satisfactory. Mr Tanner : The building account '!■ The Chairman : They look upon it us one acconnfc, but they could not allow such an account to stand overdraAvn. Mr Tanner : Nine hundred pounds would be required for bonuses to the teachers. The Chairman said they had fought very hardly for the bonus in the past. Mr Baker said for two years the teachers had been told that they need not look forward with certainty to bonus. The Chairman said it would be a very undesirable thing to withhold the bonus. Mr Tanner said if the Boards, in a weakneed manner, caved in, the Government wouln accept that money, as they were economical. The Boards should insist on Parliament voting a sufficient amount for school buildings, and if they did it, it would be done. The Chairman said the requirements were greater than other districts. The bush district was increasing enormously. The Secretary : During the last nine years our increase has been 211 per cent. The Chairman said he had found great indifference on the matter in Wellington. It was better not to disappoint the teachers altogether. Under the circumstances the staff would think themselves fortunate in getting the half. It was with reluctance the Board did so. They had nothing to reproach themselves with. They were able to pay the full salaries, pay the bonus, and provide a surplus, but when they were called upon to find money out of the school funds for buildings they could not regulate the funds. The Secretary was instructed to prepare a report as to the basis on the following terms : — That the bonus which shall be at rate of half the usual terms, be estimated on the following scale: — That assisant teachers in large schools be paid a bonus estimated on the percentage of the standard results for his or her class, and that the headmaster be paid on the gross results of each school in the standard examination, and that no schools be permitted to participate unless the percentage of passes reach 45 percent, of the total number attending school at the date of the examination.