Parents chip in to pay for extra teacher

A school that asked parents to dip into their pockets to pay for an extra teacher has raised most of the $45,000 it needed.

Waipu School principal Paul Ramsay said the extra teacher meant class sizes could be kept small and said the generosity of the Northland school's community had come as a pleasant surprise.

The school's board of trustees sent a newsletter to pupils' homes last month asking for donations because funding would be cut after 43 senior students left for intermediate school.

Most donations were between $500 and $1000, but one family handed over $2000.

The extra teacher means the size of each class will class sizes drop by between three and six students. Senior classes will average around 27 students and juniors around 22.

The total number of teachers will remain at nine. IT had been expected to drop to eight because of the departure of so many senior students.

Mr Ramsay was "really pleased" by the response, and the teaching job is being advertised.

"I didn't think we'd get that much but we do have terrific parental support," he said.

He told The Northern Advocate last week the school was forced to ask for money because the Ministry of Education did not give the school enough.

"The agenda is: we'll help the poor and the rich will help themselves."

Mr Ramsay admitted the school was fortunate to have parents who could afford to support it.

Ministry of Education Northland manager Chris Eve said Waipu School could ask parents for donations because the way a school was run was up to its management.

Schools were given the flexibility to spend their operations grant as they wished and decide how many children they wanted in each class.

- NORTHERN ADVOCATE (WHANGAREI)