School Trustees under Pressure

Boards are being asked to provide tomorrow’s schools for today’s students on yesterday’s budget.

Boards of Trustees are, with the latest budget cuts, under pressure. Not only are they expected to deliver improved student achievement results, especially for our most ‘at risk’ students, but they are expected to do this with reduced resourcing. Since the Christchurch earthquake and the leaky building fiasco property money has all but dried up. Now funding to employ teachers has taken a hit. On top of that, Trustees are charged with the responsibility of being ‘good employer’ – not easily done when they are not the paymaster, the Ministry is, says Chris Toa, Chairperson of Wellington Wairarapa School Trustees Association, an independent Trustee organisation.

The Minister and Prime Minister have both claimed that the capping of lost teacher positions will offer some certainty to schools. There was no uncertainty until the government made these cuts to funding. The uncertainty of how reduced staffing will look in individual schools is stressful for Boards. Their current goals and targets may need revising, their aspirations for their students refocusing, their employer–employee relationship is perilous, and the ability to financially manage their school is at risk. There is also the uncertainty of how many more teaching positions will go when the ‘capping’ comes off. “With Trustee elections less than a year away, who would want to step into our shoes?” asks Mr Toa.

The Minister has been heard many times, putting it back on to Boards, “It is up to each school, how they staff it”. In reality, much of that choice has been taken. It’s the Ministry that pays the teachers, not the school. “At the end of the day a Board has to ensure delivery of every aspect of the New Zealand Curriculum. Reduced funding has to limit the ways in which you can do that. The only flexibility in the equation is class sizes – this is the only aspect that is movable and unfortunately, when the funding is reduced but the targets (full curriculum delivery) remain the same, it’s the class sizes that have to balloon out to accommodate this” he says.

Every Board is concerned about student achievement results – are they extending their top learners, are they offering their students a broad enough curriculum of adequate depth, are they addressing the learning needs of their students most at risk of failing?

“Increased class numbers contradict any strategies a Board may have to deal with these questions and are not acceptable to our members,” he says.

“Looking towards Trustee elections next year, it will go one of two ways for Boards. Either prospective Trustees will shy away from the responsibility and increased pressure and choose not to stand, or parents will come out in their droves to stand to preserve the right of their children to a quality education,” states Mr Toa.

ENDS

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