KEY POINTS:
A cold war between Fairfield's College's staff and governing board has climaxed with the trustees' resignation en masse.
The Government is now set to step in at the Hamilton school, after the stand-off hit the headlines with a walk-out by 200 students this week.
But the brinkmanship continues. The board blames the teachers' union, the PPTA, for "whipping up a storm"; the union alleges management had opened the door to anarchy. Disputes have flared up over matters as petty as whether the daily staff newsletter is distributed to the 80 staff by hand, or by email.
Education Review Office reports have criticised the school, and some staff have questioned management's plans get it back on track.
Former deputy chairman Rodney Hartles, whose wife and three children attended Fairfield, described the week as "gutting."
"There were tears yesterday, it was probably the most gutting thing I've ever been involved in," he said. "We wanted the best for the school and obviously we failed in our attempt."
Hartles said he believed the problems were caused by some of the teaching staff and their union, the PPTA.
He described "rifts" between those teachers, and principal Julie Small and the board.
"They've [the PPTA] been very influential and I believe whipping up a storm.
"Do they think their lives are going to get any easier because of a commissioner coming into the school?"
Hartles claimed many teachers had been at the school too long and had rejected modernism and improved teaching methods.
Some teachers declined Small's request for an 8.20am meeting, sticking to their 8.30am starting time, and several refused to agree to basic meetings unless the local PPTA rep could be present.
Hartles said: "In some instances our senior teachers are failing our kids.
"It's like child's play, it was like talking to a bunch of students."
Following the student protest on Wednesday, Ministry of Education officials met with the board on Thursday morning.
Hartles' said their concerns were over the health and safety of the students, and with a commissioner needing to be appointed, the board had to go.
PPTA president Kate Gainsford said Hartles comments were unfair.
"There's a lot of scapegoating here which is not helpful. You can't have anarchy, which is what we were beginning to see."
Principal Julie Small said only that she would continue to improve the school for the pupils.
"To do that I need our quality teaching staff to work with me."
The Ministry of Education is yet to appoint a commissioner to the school, but it is thought Dennis Finn, who is a statutory adviser to Fairfield, may take the role.
