Clarity needed ahead of school board elections

Parents who want to stand for school board elections need to know whether they will be running the schools or closing them, says National Party Education spokesman Bill English.

Commenting on a Government campaign to recruit candidates for school board elections, Mr English says the Government needs to come clean with its plan to close 500 schools.

"The network reviews underway show that most intermediate and rural schools will close in the next few years.

"Successful primary schools with rolls up to 500 are being considered for closure or merger. Any secondary school with a roll under 1000 that isn't relatively isolated will also close," says Mr English.

"Large-scale change is now described by Labour MP's as inevitable.

"It would be disgraceful for the Government to encourage parents to stand for schools it knows will close," Mr English says.

"Trevor Mallard should be honest with Board of Trustees candidates and declare which 500 schools are to close or he must end the reviews.

"Either way trustees deserve to know what's in store if they stand and get elected," says Mr English.

"The network reviews cut right across the spirit of parent controlled schools. They eliminate parent choices for their child's education.

"The network reviews are this Labour Government's code-name for the shift towards more centralised bureaucratic control of our schools," Mr English says.

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