Roskill schools need funding boost, not by-election road shows

“Hekia Parata’s public meeting about education in Mt Roskill tonight will not help a single local school following recent funding cuts”, says Labour candidate for Mt Roskill Michael Wood.

“National’s recent changes to school funding have resulted in 21of 22 Mt Roskill schools getting less funding than they would have received had they simply been given an inflation adjustment to 2016 funding levels.*”

“Roskill schools from across the decile range are losing out under National. Decile one and two schools in our community are receiving less funding in real terms then they did last year.

"As the board of trustees chair of a local decile two school, I know that teachers and school communities are constantly plugging gaps to deliver quality education to our children. They need more support, not funding cuts.”

“It is unbelievable that at a time of funding cuts to local schools, large amounts of taxpayer funding are being used on billboards and direct mail outs to promote Hekia Parata’s public meeting with the likely National candidate in the Mt Roskill by-election. With less than seven weeks until the by-election, local people are asking why large amounts taxpayer funding are being used to put up hundreds of billboards and produce tens of thousands of leaflets for what is clearly a campaign event for the local National candidate"

“National should tell us how much taxpayer money is being spent on this campaign event, and then give the money to local schools to partly make up for their funding cuts”, says Michael Wood.

* As per figures reported in NZ Herald on 5 October

ENDS

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