School funding report welcomed

The New Zealand School Trustees Association yesterday welcomed reports confirming its view that schools are underfunded.

The Ministry of Education reports were released by Education Minister Anne Tolley.

Association president Lorraine Kerr said the reports confirmed a shortfall in operational budgets dating back to the 1990s.

The historic shortfall was one of three key issues facing the report's advisory group. Catch-up funding was required to remedy the situation, the reports said.

Additional funding was also needed to cover the costs of an increasing number of non-teaching staff.

The non-teaching staff workforce report found non-teaching staff had increased from 16,000 in 1990 to 26,000 in 2006 and school boards were using grants and locally raised money to bridge the funding gap.

"Teacher aides alone have increased in number by 29 per cent since 1999," she said.

"The non-teaching staff workforce report clearly identifies the increased number of non-teaching staff, changing needs of schools, the impact and implementation of collective agreement settlements, and the associated flow-on costs, have all been factors which have led to the current situation of gross underfunding."

Ms Kerr said the results of a pilot survey of school finances confirmed the issues raised in the non-teaching staff report, including the likelihood of operational deficits without locally raised funds.

The situation was a lot worse than the reports stated due to the troubled financial climate.

"The recession is making it significantly harder for boards to continue to raise funds locally at current levels when traditional funding sources contract or dry up," she said. "The evidence is very clear, if New Zealand wants a world-class system of education with an expectation of all students achieving to the highest level, then funding school operations grants at an adequate level must be a priority."

The reports also recommended that the process used to determine school funding be "revisited".

- NZPA