Pan tax proposal ‘not equitable’ for schools

LOOK AGAIN: Gisborne schools have asked district councillors to reconsider a proposal to change the wastewater rates. The new rate would charge schools on a ratio of one toilet per 20 students and staff. Picture by Paul Rickard

Students could be queuing for the loo if a “pan tax” goes through, prompting already underfunded schools to reduce toilet numbers, a Gisborne principal warns.

A proposed change to Gisborne's wastewater rate could cost the city's schools an extra $150,000 annually and they won't be able to recoup the money from the Ministry of Education.

Gisborne Central School principal Andy Hayward said schools already ran on shoestring budgets, and with thousands of dollars extra proposed in rates, they could resort to reducing the number of toilets.

“Is that really what you want for kids of our district — to limit and to reduce their access to toilets?” he asked Gisborne District councillors last week.

“That's one of the only ways that we can manage this.”

The council's proposal is to charge schools on a ratio of one toilet, or pan, per 20 students and staff.

A council spokeswoman said reducing the number of toilets might reduce rates “slightly”, but it was likely to be minimal. The pan to person ration is based on Ministry of Education guidance, she said.

Cr Larry Foster said he sympathised, but asked Mr Hayward if he realised that “most other schools” around the country were rated in this way.

Mr Hayward's school is facing an extra $6000 for the wastewater rate annually. They have about 20 toilets.

“It's not an equitable outcome for our kids and our schools,” he said, speaking on behalf of nine schools at Long-Term Plan hearings on Thursday.

“We have a lack of funding as a whole and the financial impact that this is taking across our nine schools identified, is close to $69,000.

“That's money that we can't get back, we can't recoup that. We get a funding pot, and that's it. We've spoken to the Ministry, they're not going to top us up in any way.”

He only spoke for about half of the schools affected by the proposal, and estimated the impact on schools across the city would be much larger.

“You're looking at probably $150,000 that is essentially being taken from the tamariki across our district that we can't get back.

“We already pay for things that our whanau can't afford. We give them a lift up . . . for transport, for food, for clothing, stationary, all that comes out of our operational grant.

“Our operational grant is limited. We can't recoup that. If this wastewater tax change goes through, we have to reduce our budgets in other areas.”

The council's rationale is to make those placing “more of a burden” on the network pay more, but Mr Hayward disputed that.

“Yes, we've got 20 toilets, but we're only open for 50 percent of the year. The rest of the time it's weekends, or the school is closed for holidays.

“Is it fair that we are paying for 100 percent of the rating cost, when we're only there 50 percent of the time?”

“I urge the Gisborne District Council to look back at this rates increase and determine a fairer way to rate this for schools.”

Other regions had rates remission policies for schools, which could be a potential strategy, he said.

Mr Hayward presented on behalf of Gisborne Central School, Gisborne Girls' High School, Gisborne Boys' High School, Awapuni School, Te Wharau School, Riverdale School, Gisborne Intermediate, Ilminster Intermediate and St Mary's.

The proposal seeks to combine the two existing wastewater rate charges, keeping residential households on a charge of one toilet per household, no matter how many they have, while commercial and industrial properties will be charged per toilet.

Councillors will deliberate the Long-Term Plan submissions today before adopting the plan on June 30.