Trustees find their motive near at hand

Karen Burge talks to some of the parents who have replaced the bureaucrats in our schools.

A dark night in Pakiri, the coastal settlement 10km over a rutted, slip-prone road from Leigh.

Down the straight by the turnoff to the beach, the school glows like a beacon for six local people appearing out of the darkness for the monthly board meeting.

They, like more than 22,000 others who serve on the boards of the country's 2784 schools, are the parents who replaced the bureaucrats. They are the cornerstone of Tomorrow's Schools, the vehicle through which parents influence the school..

There are 21 children at Pakiri School, aged from 5 to 13, and a sole charge principal, Val Broadbent. But tonight it is the board members who are sitting at the child-sized desks, surrounded by their children's bright paintings and warmed by a wood fire.

The chairwoman, Davin Bradford, is a fulltime mother. Barry Wheaton is a retired banker turned small farmer. Erena Atkins, also a mother, is the school secretary and drives the school bus. Andy Chapman is a butcher and agricultural contractor, who has a daughter at the school.

Donna Adams, a solo mother, moved to Pakiri for a better lifestyle. Cherie Williams' daughter is the third generation to attend the 121-year-old school.

Tonight's agenda: the national collective contract for school caretakers and cleaners; formulating a 15-year maintenance plan for the school's buildings; and deciding on the best night to hold a karaoke and dance to raise money for concrete around the swimming pool.

With its proximity to Auckland, Pakiri looks certain to become a magnet for those making a lifestyle choice.

But the board's long-term worry is about the continued viability of small rural schools like theirs.

Davin Bradford spends at least one day a week at the school on "baffling" correspondence from government agencies and administration. Mr Chapman not only manages the school's property but often maintains it as well. Mr Wheaton is the treasurer and Donna Adams the secretary. Cherie Williams and Erena Atkins help to shoulder the load.

Despite the hard work, their reasons for getting involved are simple: they are doing it for their children.

"It's really exciting for parents to be this involved in the education of our children," says Erena Atkins. "It's an understanding that you don't get when you drop your kids off at the school door, but it's still a dump on parents' and volunteers' time."

According to its last report, the Education Review Office thinks the Pakiri board, and its principal, are doing a good job. Not all schools have been so lucky. Since 1989, 46 of the 2784 boards nationwide have proved so inadequate they have had to be replaced by commissioners.

Until a few months ago, Pakiri school drew 11 students from nine families. Although the roll has now almost doubled to 21, the pool of potential trustees is still small -- a problem that has plagued small schools and those in disadvantaged areas across the country.

Last year, a quarter of the country's primary schools had fewer than 57 pupils. More than a third of schools are in rural areas, catering for about 10 per cent of students.

Education consultant Harvey McQueen worked closely with former Prime Minister and Education Minister David Lange on the Tomorrow's Schools policy. Although he thinks boards of trustees have mostly been successful -- since 1989 only 46 have had to be replaced by commissioners -- the policy has not worked quite as its architects intended.

"I thought small schools would join together under a common board," says Mr McQueen. "But that hasn't happened. We underestimated the parochialism of rural communities."

David Lange, especially, thought boards and teachers would become allies. But that did not happen either, thanks to the wedge driven between them by the bulk-funding row and the usual tensions that arise between employers and employees.

Just how representative are boards? Women are slightly better represented on boards than men. Pakeha parents make up nearly 81 per cent of all trustees.

Around 13 per cent of trustees are Maori, 2 per cent are Pacific Islanders and Asian trustees equate to less than 1 per cent of the total.

The learning curve is steep for new trustees of Kelston Boys' High School, like the Rev Asora Amosa. But he is determined to be involved.

"Part of my commitment is that my four boys are at the school and I wanted to have a Pacific Island input in the school, so I wear that hat and Pacific Island leader as well. I feel like I need to be here."

He joins the other trustees on a winter's afternoon at Kelston Boys as the sky darkens and the rugby teams finish training.

The school's First XV won the world rugby championship early this month. Discussion turns to promoting the win and honouring the boys' achievement.

A decision on whether to take bulk-funding for teachers' salaries is deferred until the secondary teachers' pay contract is settled, despite urging by one member to make a decision sooner.

After two and a half hours, the meeting is closed and the members, a comfortable mix of men and women, professional people and experienced trustees, adjourn to the principal's office for a drink.

Offering something back to the school was what prompted lawyer Richard Wood, the board chairman, to stand in 1995.

He says appointing the right people at the top was one of the most important things a board could do.

For lawyer Carl Gruebner, Kelston is the third board he has served on.

"I do actually like getting involved in things in the community. It's a way of putting something back, and I think you'll find a lot of lawyers do like to put something back and use their skills to do something that counts at the community level."

One of the boards he served on "had a fair amount of tension" relating to the direction of the school, but he made firm friendships with some of his fellow trustees "because we had to weather a few storms together."

"I'm a believer in the concept really. I think a lot has been added to schools by having parental involvement at this level. I believe it has been a success overall."