KEY POINTS:
Teachers and trustees say the funding boost for the day-to-day running of schools, announced today by the Government, isn't going to be enough to meet shortfalls.
Education Minister Chris Carter said an extra $171.6 million would go into operational funding over four years, partly to help schools provide computer technology.
Mr Carter said it represented a 5 per cent rise and was the biggest increase to the operations grant since 2001, bringing the total over the next four years to $4.7 billion.
He said funding had increased each year since Labour came to power in 1999 and over that time had risen by 40 per cent.
But the primary teachers union, the NZEI, said it had wanted an increase of at least 10 per cent.
"A 5 per cent funding boost will hardly touch the sides," said NZEI president Frances Nelson.
"What we've actually been given is about the rate of inflation."
She said the biggest disappointment was that there was no extra money for support staff, whose salaries are funded through the operations grant.
"They are low paid and have little job security as schools have to juggle their salaries with other essential costs."
The School Trustees Association said it would make a difference for many school but they would still face a shortfall.
"While the $171.6 million over four years is great, and contains $65.3 million attributable to ICT costs, there is still a significant gap yet to be closed," association president Lorraine Kerr said.
The National Party said the Government had been spending huge amounts on education bureaucrats while frontline funding had become increasingly stretched.
"Even the most naive will see this as cynical election-year pork-barrelling," said National's education spokeswoman Anne Tolley.
Mr Carter said National had no commitment at all to the proper resourcing of schools.
- NZPA
