Vision Schools Get It Wrong On Funding

Vision Schools Get It Wrong On Funding

Vision Schools, formerly known as the Association of Bulk Funded Schools, has got it wrong when it states that the Labour Party receives funds from NZEI Te Riu Roa.

The incorrect statement is made in a media release entitled "School Funding Facts Put Right" August 8, 2005.

NZEI Te Riu Roa is politically independent and is not affiliated to any political party. The union makes no donations to any political party. Our members commitment is to furthering the goal of building a quality public education for all New Zealanders.

As the country's largest education union with 44,500 members working as early childhood teachers, primary teachers and principals and support staff in primary and secondary schools, NZEI Te Riu Roa, analyses the policies and programmes proposed by all political parties.

“NZEI members are committed to seeing all children receive a quality education and we analyse all education policy to determine if it furthers that goal,” says NZEI Te Riu Roa National President, Colin Tarr.

“NZEI members oppose bulk funding because it would do nothing to help them provide quality education for their students.”

“Schools would inevitably struggle to spread their bulk fund across all their teachers and would end up sacrificing experienced teachers on higher salaries and replacing them with less experienced teachers on lower salaries, to stay within their budget.”

School support staff are already bulk funded from each school’s operations grant and as a result are among the lowest paid and less secure workforces in the country. This is because as well as paying their support staff from the grant, schools have to use the same money to pay all their building, maintenance and resource costs.

Bulk funding school support staff is not working and 35,000 New Zealanders agree. They signed a petition calling for a fairer and more effective funding system. As a result the Government is to review schools' operational funding which will look at way support staff are currently funded.

“New Zealand has a world class public education system and NZEI members are dedicated to making it even better. They support education policies that provide them with the resources they need to provide a quality education for every New Zealand child,” says Colin Tarr.

ENDS