Boards in property battle
Schools are split on who should maintain $30b worth of facilities, reports Joanne Holden.
For a small rural primary like Cannington School, the prospect of dealing with a major property crisis such as pulling out the asbestos in the building is just overwhelming. ‘‘We can’t afford to remove it,’’ says principal Deane Power. ‘‘For us it’s an impossibility. Don’t disturb the asbestos and it’s fine, but it’s not the best thing to have near people.’’
For nearly 30 years since the Tomorrow’s Schools reforms, school boards made up mainly of parents have run New Zealand’s 2100 state schools – but now the Government is looking at seizing back more control.
A review is expected to recommend the Ministry of Education take back hands-on maintenance and management of the buildings and property at the country’s schools – a plan that has drawn a mixed reaction from school boards and principals spoken to by the Sunday Star-Times.
The Crown owns more than 15,000 school buildings on 8000 hectares valued at $30 billion. But schools have been funded to maintain the facilities to suit their needs.
For the 127-year-old Cannington School in rural south Canterbury, handing back responsibility for maintenance would be ‘‘one less headache’’. The ministry provides $50,000 in maintenance funding over five years, which is spent on carpets, painting, heat pumps, the community pool and general wear and tear.
That view on upkeep wasn’t shared by all: In Wellington, Newtown School principal Mark Brown said board oversight of the facilities allowed them to work with ministry officials to get the best outcome for the school.
In Christchurch, Burnside High School principal Phil Holstein worried about ‘‘tension’’ in the school’s relationship with the city council and library, if the ministry took property management away from the community.
But NZ School Trustees Association president Lorraine Kerr said the amount of time community-elected boards of trustees spent negotiating and overseeing property owned by the ministry was unfair.