Wairarapa College faces staff cuts

JOB CUTS: Wairarapa College could shave staff in a bid to cut operating costs.

Staff cuts are looming at Wairarapa College after a Limited Statutory Manager was appointed to govern its finances in the wake of declining rolls and budget shortfalls.

Board of trustees chairman Geoff Copps said trustees had sought ministry help to lift the school out of the red, and operating cost reductions "could well mean changes in staffing levels".

Trustees and school managers had been working with the Ministry of Education to return the school to financial stability and Limited Statutory Manager Michael Rondel will take responsibility for finance, personnel and property at the school.

The student roll had fallen since 2006 by about 200 to 980 and about 80 teaching and non-teaching staff worked at the college today on full and part-time contracts, he said.

"Any cuts to staffing will be across all staff, both teaching and non-teaching. We also might revise the curriculum that we offer, but everything will be based around student needs and that process of students deciding their options for the future, as happens every year, is happening right now," he said.

"Our curriculum offering changes pretty regularly based on student and community demand. There are subjects that used to be taught are no longer there and subjects being taught today that had not been thought of before.

"That's an ongoing and regular process of reviewing what curriculum we're operating, to best meet the needs of the pupils. But I don't want to comment at all on the size of any staff cuts because we're still working that out."

Mr Copps sent a letter to parents over the appointment of Mr Rondel, who will work with the board and school management team "to develop a financial action plan" expected to bring college finances back on an even keel within six months.

Mr Copps said the ministry would decide when the financial reins will be handed back to the board, and college staff and the board "want everything sorted and cleared up in six months".

"Mr Rondel comes very highly recommended with significant experience and knowledge of school financial systems and wider governance matters. He will also be an excellent resource for moving our major property project forward."

A Master Property Planning process was almost complete as well, he said, and "at this stage it is anticipated that construction may begin later next year once the detailed design and consent processes are completed".

He said the entire revamp project involved "tens of millions of dollars" in re-modelling and upgrading of buildings that would take up to 20 years to complete.

"The provision of high-quality education has always been the focus of the board and school management and it is business-as-usual at Waicol," Mr Copps told parents.

"The quality of the education of our students will be unaffected. While we do not expect you to see any changes to the operation of the school, we will keep you updated over the coming months."