Court threat over school fund boost
State integrated schools could take the Government to court over a decision to pump $400 million into the state school system.
But Education Minister Chris Hipkins says state integrated schools funding will go up as a result of an investment and he isn’t worried about potential court action.
The Government announced on Sunday that it would pump almost $400m into state school buildings, with schools receiving almost $700 per pupil.
State integrated schools are funded by the Government but are owned by private interests, which also own their buildings – mostly the Catholic church in New Zealand, which previously ran them as private schools. They were not included in the announcement.
About 90,000 students are in the 330 state integrated schools, which are allowed to charge students attendance fees.
An agreement between the Government and the schools signed in 2016 sets out that there should be equity between state schools and state integrated schools.
Association of Proprietors of Integrated Schools chief executive Paul Ferris said he hoped to work out a solution but would consider legal options if not.
‘‘We believe that our agreement with the Government has been breached – and if it can’t be fixed then we would consider legal action,’’ Ferris said.
He was meeting last night with associate education minister Jenny Salesa, who has responsibility for state integrated schools.
‘‘We were very upset to find out that we were excluded from the policy announcement,’’ Ferris said.
‘‘When the state accepts a school as a state integrated school it joins the state system. And part of the state system is maintain property to a state standard.’’
Ferris calculated that state integrated schools would be eligible for about $50m under the Government’s formula.
National’s education spokeswoman Nikki Kaye said the schools had a good case.
‘‘The integrated schools have a clear case that if the Crown sees the need to increase maintenance funding for state schools then the Government has an obligation to provide funding for state integrated schools, otherwise the Government is discriminating,’’ Kaye said.
Hipkins said that the state integrated schools would see a funding boost indirectly as a result of his policy.
‘‘State integrated schools are funded differently to state schools. We don’t fund their capital in the same way. They own their own buildings and maintain their own buildings. But we do provide them with maintenance funding – and their maintenance funding is based on the overall value of the state school portfolio. So as we spend more money on that their maintenance value will go up based on that.
‘‘They are going to benefit. They just aren’t going to benefit in the same way.
‘‘The reality is they are funded based on a formula they signed up to that they negotiated with the last Government. We are not changing that.’’