End of Govt intervention by year end

A long-running government intervention at Rangiora High School could end in November.

A Ministry of Education report on commissioner Bev Moore’s second year in the role, released under the Official Information Act, set the tentative timeline for a return to self-governance pending a review at the end of term three. The school was expected to have a new principal in place by that time, with elections for a board of trustees shortly after.

Moore was appointed commissioner in February 2015, after which principal Peggy Burrows was stood down, and later sacked. In January, the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) ruled Burrows had been wrongfully dismissed.

However the ERA ruled against her reinstatement as principal, citing concerns a positive working relationship with school staff could not be restored.

Moore said appointing a new principal was her priority. Usually, a board of trustees comprised of community members appoints a principal. Moore said the decision to prioritise a new principal over board elections was made by the Ministry of Education.