Let students and parents decide
July 12th, 2011 at 10:00 am by David FarrarAmanda Fisher at Stuff reports:
After huge community pressure, including a hikoi to Parliament, the education minister has partly backtracked on proposed mergers of schools.
In May, Anne Tolley announced her decision to merge three Kawerau primary schools into one, close Kawerau Intermediate and turn Kawerau South School into a year 1 to year 8 primary school.
That was despite four of six schools opting for a different outcome, and a petition signed by 70 per cent of the town’s adults. About 250 people joined a May hikoi from Kawerau to Wellington.
However, Mrs Tolley announced yesterday that a Maori immersion kura, going up to year 8, would be established on the current Kawerau North School site. She has delayed deciding the fate of the intermediate, which could be merged with Kawerau College, saying any changes would not take effect before 2013.
However, the three intermediates – Kawerau North, Kawerau Central and Putauaki primary schools – would still merge.
I think it is regrettable that our funding model means that the Minister is the person who has to decide which schools are viable, and which ones are not.
Ideally schools should be fully delegated their funding – property, salaries, IT, operations etc. And parents and students should be able to choose which school they wish to attend, with funding following them.
That way, then the Minister would not have to decide on school mergers. If a school can attract enough students to remain viable, then good on them. If their roll shrinks to the point they can not cover their costs, then they close.
July 12th, 2011 at 10:05 am
If school teachers didn’t spend so much time promoting sexual deviancy, the virtue of condoms and so forth perhaps New Zealanders would actually have more babies who in time would need to be educated thus filling the now empty classrooms and negating the necessity of closing down schools.
Vote:July 12th, 2011 at 10:17 am
Tolley announced school closures and mergers in Dunedin last week. There’s been a lot of local comment and concern – and support.
Yes, local MPs should have an unbiased view and do what they can to determine and represent the whole comunity needs and views.
Vote:July 12th, 2011 at 11:00 am
Quote from DPF “If their roll shrinks to the point they can not cover their costs, then they close”
If the criteria is that schools can not cover their costs and should close I think you would find about 90% of schools closing around the country.
Vote:It is why every year schools demand fees from parents for so called free education
July 12th, 2011 at 11:51 am
Goodness me Pete; a school principal not blindly following the Labour Party/NZEI line, and actually expressing her own opinion. I’m so shocked I think I need a lie-down
Vote:July 12th, 2011 at 12:31 pm
I’ve read the Stuff bit several times.
Other than that Tolley has changed one usage – into what christ knows except that it will be stoneage based – and that some of the town were upset to the point 250 of them hiccuped all the way to Wellington (in concert one imagines) I’m buggered if I can see the point.
Have to agree with DPF though, a school should attract pupils or fold.
Vote:July 12th, 2011 at 12:40 pm
Well its been ACT policy since Preeble was in short pants so its time the National Party caught up and did what they should.
But they won’t just like they don’t do anything else properly.
House prices in Auckland are on the rise in premium school zones. This from QV just yesterday.
So it was property investors that caused high house prices was it?
No, it was the parents who wanted their kids in the right school zone. Had they had vouchers then house prices would not have been driven up because people could live anywhere and their kids attend the school that they choose as best for their kids.
Another Labour Govt. fail.
Vote:Ably assisted I might add bytheir loyal socialist compatriats in the National Party.
July 12th, 2011 at 12:46 pm
Exactly!
Vote:July 12th, 2011 at 12:49 pm
This problem would be quickly solved by letting the funding follow the students.
cheers
David Prosser
Vote:July 12th, 2011 at 12:53 pm
Ideally schools should be fully delegated their funding – property, salaries, IT, operations etc. And parents and students should be able to choose which school they wish to attend, with funding following them.
Why do schools need teachers, IT, etc?
Under the DPF model they just need a marketing department, a PR department and motivated commission based sales teams.
great for the advertising media and polling companies, pretty shit for kids who just need an education.
Vote:July 12th, 2011 at 12:53 pm
Yes indeed.
I wonder…
After all of the students move across town from the “bad” school to the “good” school; and the “bad” school downsizes or closes; and the “good” school needs to expand to serve the influx of students; which job-hunting teachers will they hire, do you think?
Vote:July 12th, 2011 at 12:55 pm
Andrei (865) Says:
July 12th, 2011 at 10:05 am
If school teachers didn’t spend so much time promoting sexual deviancy, the virtue of condoms and so forth perhaps New Zealanders would actually have more babies who in time would need to be educated thus filling the now empty classrooms and negating the necessity of closing down schools.
Just maybe if parents didn’t abandon their responisibilities to teach kids about sex and contraception, schools wouldn’t have to fill that role.
Too many idiot parents clinging to Bronze Age myths have created the burden on schools.
Vote:July 12th, 2011 at 2:23 pm
I guess I could insert some snarky analogy about how poorly the private sector delivers on things like food and other basic products and services that we need to live.
But what the hell! Since the majority of people in New Zealand (including most of the National party voters) firmly believe in the state retaining the dominant role in education and healthcare, I’ll instead ask a simple question of people like RRM:
Vote:Why are the services and products of education (and healthcare) so different from any other classes of such in our societies that the majority of them (70-80% by spending?) have to be delivered by the government?
July 12th, 2011 at 2:46 pm
@tom –
I’ll play. To the radical socialist, controlling services like education allows the thinking and ergo the dialog to be framed in a way that that promotes socialist dogma. Controlling healthcare allows fears about wellbeing (per Maslow) to be exercised as voters prepare to do elect the next set of rulers. I guess they could wade into food (also Maslow) but that’s a bit obvious … and had disastrous consequences for the Soviets!
Vote:July 12th, 2011 at 3:04 pm
Good luck trying to get this policy implemented. It’s a sure fire “dial a strike” policy.
Vote:July 12th, 2011 at 4:50 pm
Well Reagan sacked all the air controllers sowe can fire teachers that don’t want to play. Do it about the 20thof december and no holiday pay until they sign up.
Hungry bellies usually fix these things.
Vote:July 12th, 2011 at 5:19 pm
Sheesh – three hours later and no left-winger is willing to front?
Oh well, I guess we’ll just have to let technology bury the system, as it has so many other times in history.
Vote:July 12th, 2011 at 6:23 pm
MNIJ – so every other industry on earth has marketing and advertising people, and yet they still deliver a service that people want at a profit. Why would something that makes everyone else money be a drain on education? Please explain.
Vote:July 12th, 2011 at 9:04 pm
Ah and so do universities in NZ and polytechnics and others. Even they don’t get it right so thats not any criteria because they are still mostly on Govt. tit.
Vote:October 4th, 2011 at 5:33 pm
We are in the catchment for the new school.. we have decided to home school for a few years while they sort their crap out. it’s badly organised and there is very little info out for parents… at least with home schooling the funding will actually follow our child.
Vote: