18 May, 2011

PPTA President Robin Duff said while the Budget would be tight on the back of a recession and the Christchurch earthquake, it was no excuse to slash funding to secondary schools.

“There is no fat to trim – school’s budgets are really tight”.

Eighteen million dollars had been stripped from schools’ operational grants in the guise of quarterly funding.

It is hurting secondary schools and needs to be reversed – it is diminishing the ability of schools to do their job said Robin Duff.

“Secondary schools are hard hit because all their costs are fixed at the start of the year. If funding is cut later in the year because some students have left the remaining students suffer,” said Robin Duff

“The reality is the more the government cuts funding the greater the pressure on parents to make up the difference”.

He said the Budget also needed to provide further support for behaviour management initiatives in schools.

“The government continually identify the need to address behaviour in schools but where is the funding for these initiatives?”

“Writing letters to schools demanding action on bullying is not the answer; it’s time for the government to put their money where their mouth is.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media