MOE will meet costs over Pamapuria commissioner

The appointment of a commissioner at Pamapuria School will be of minimal cost to the school, vastly less than the $206,000 cited on Tuesday (School kids going without to pay the commissioner, Northland Age April 15).

The figure was provided to the Northland Age by the Ministry of Education, via Northland MP Mike Sabin, which stated that to date those costs had been covered by the school. Commissioner Larry Forbes said, however, that agreement had been reached with the ministry last year that the majority of costs would be reimbursed.

"When I end my term here, which is only a few weeks away, this intervention will have cost the school a minimal amount," Mr Forbes said.

"My actual income from working at the school is far below the figure quoted as costs. I feel that this cost is reasonable when calculated across 20 months of what has substantially been full-time work."

The ministry had agreed that there were special circumstances at Pamapuria, however, and that the school should not pay the majority of costs associated with the intervention.

Mr Forbes also rejected the claim that money deposited by children and parents towards the end-of-year camp had been used to meet costs arising from his appointment, and that the school was in financial difficulties.

"I have assured parents that any money raised by the children or for children's activities has been and will continue to be used for the purposes intended," he said.

"There were cashflow problems at the end of last year; the school's finances have been very tight at times due to the extraordinary circumstances. That necessitated the arrangement of an overdraft, but that arrangement is no longer needed.

"Nor is it true that the trustees were fired. I have a letter dated August 6, 2012, signed by all the trustees, offering their resignations. To say they were suspended, then fired without explanation, is patently untrue.

"And immediately after those resignations were received a community newsletter was issued explaining what had happened, why it had happened and why a commissioner had been appointed."

Mr Forbes added that the school was now in a "good place". It had an outstanding principal, appointments had been made to form a board of trustees, and the school was ready to be handed back to the community.

"It's a lovely school within a supportive community," he said. "Good things are happening, and will continue to happen here, and it's a pity that inaccurate claims like these might sour what has been a very positive outcome."