‘Big shock’ at charter school delay
Decisions on converting some schools might not be made until September
Aeducation founder of two charter schools says it is a “massive shock” that the Government may not make a decision until September on whether the schools can convert to state schools from January.
Alwyn Poole, founder of South Auckland Middle School and Middle School West Auckland, said the Education Ministry had decided to appoint an “independent evaluator” to gather more information about the two schools before Education Minister Chris Hipkins decided whether they could become state schools.
“We have to do the work with the independent evaluator,” he said.
“We have asked that this would be a quick process — not the extra four to five weeks the ministry outlined to us today.“
Hipkins announced yesterday that he had approved state school status with designated character for six other charter schools — two in Whangarei, Sir Michael Jones’ Pacific Advance Secondary School in O¯ta¯huhu, Te Ko¯puku High School in Hamilton, Te Rangihakahaka Centre for Science and Technology in Rotorua and Te Aratika Academy near Hastings.
Vanguard Military Academy at Albany was also granted designated character state school status in May.
Yesterday’s decisions also included approval of the first stage of negotiations for Ma¯ngere-based Te Kura Ma¯ ori o Waatea and a proposed Waatea High School, and a proposed new school, Tu¯ ranga Tangata Rite in Gisborne, to become state-integrated schools.
But Hipkins said decisions about Poole’s two middle schools and Sita Selupe’s Rise Up Academy in Ma¯ngere might not be made until September.
“I have sought further information from the sponsor of [the two middle schools], and work is needed on property options for the remaining application.”
The applicants for these three schools had met all other criteria for becoming a designated character school, he said.
Hipkins has appointed establishment Alwyn Poole
boards of trustees for the new state schools approved so far, including members of each charter school’s governance board “to provide continuity and support its character”.
He said it would take time to finalise the applications for stateintegrated status for the two Waatea schools, which hope to become a composite Year 1 to 13 school, and the Gisborne school.
“I expect to make final decisions on the two state-integrated and three designated character schools in September, but have asked the ministry to try and ensure this happens earlier if possible,” he said.
“This is still enough time for the new schools to open in 2019.”
But Poole said he had provided all the information that ministry officials asked for.
“When we had submitted our applications, senior ministry officials assured us that if any more work/ information was required they or the minister would ask for it to ensure deadlines were met,” he said.
“This has simply not happened — there has been no process (one meeting with senior officials on February 13) — and [the] deferral is a massive shock and will be so to all involved in our schools, not least the children,” Poole said.
Almost two-thirds (63 per cent) of the 1300 students in charter schools are Ma¯ ori and another 27 per cent are Pasifika.
Ma¯ori educationalists Sir Toby Curtis and Dame Iritana Tawhiwhirangi have lodged a claim with the Waitangi Tribunal alleging that closing the schools as charter schools will have a disproportionately detrimental effect on Ma¯ ori.