New Zealand Principals’ Federation
Federation Flyer 2013
Tēnā koe
This week President Phil is attending the National Association of Head Teachers’ conference in Birmingham. Undoubtedly,
he will share all his new-found UK wisdom with you next week! Meanwhile life at NZPF continues.
We expended a good deal of energy this week anticipating what might be announced in the Government’s fifth Budget, but
were largely disappointed. The following relate to our sector:
1. An increase in the operations grant of $79.2 million over four years. That will cover inflation for most, but will
not give you much extra for initiatives you’ve been longing to implement
2. An additional $63.6 million for PB4L over four years. Some of that money will come from programmes that will be
disestablished. It is unclear what those programmes are
3. $14.5 million for training Boards of Trustees
4. $37.5 million for ‘quality teaching’ over four years, $16.2 million of which is contingency funding over four years
5. $12.0 million over four years to support and retain teachers in Māori immersion education and 30 new scholarships for
Māori and Pasifika candidates in teacher education
6. $92.4 million to Greater Christchurch Education Recovery and renewal and 21st Century Schools
7. $73.1 million of operating expenditure to support ongoing maintenance and costs of the school property network
8. $134.0 million capital contingency funding for new school property (MLEs). It is unclear whether this would include
money for building charter schools
9. $200.0 million for ultrafast broadband
10. $19.0 million for charter schools (contingency money because the Education Amendment Bill has not yet been passed by
parliament)
11. $352 million over four years for PLD, which will now include support for the use of the PaCT tool
Very little of these allocations, are new money or new initiatives so not an overwhelmingly inspirational budget for
educators.
It was disappointing to see so much money allocated to charter schools and to hear John Banks recently on Q saying to Corin Dann that they intend to start with four or five charter schools and within a decade have 50 or 60. It
is hardly a ‘trial’ when your intention is to expand at that rate. The Minister on the other hand in defending the
introduction of charter schools has often said ‘What is wrong with just trialing one or two charter schools to see how
they go?’
There is no evidence to suggest that they will address the problems of identified ‘priority learners’, and indeed there
is much evidence to suggest that charter schools do poorly by ethnic minorities and special needs children.
Of special significance was the Budget’s silence on Māori initiatives for mainstream schools, which is where over 90
percent of Māori children are located. NZPF has been working alongside the Ministry for some time developing a PLD
programme for mainstream schools to assist principals and teachers in making their schools culturally appropriate for
Māori children. This programme, led by the profession, would go a long way towards addressing the success statistics of
Māori children. The great danger with charter schools is that all resource will go into them and initiatives such as
this would not get a chance to succeed. In the meantime our otherwise world-class quality public system is placed under
threat of extinction.
ends