Schools haven’t had offer they can’t refuse
Some schools can look parents in the eye even after spurning a drop-the-donations scheme the Government touts as reducing the burden on families.
Starting this year, the Government will pay $150 per student to schools in the decile 1-7 range if they agree not to hit up parents for donations other than for school camps.
Some schools, typically serving harder-up catchments, are bringing in less than this, so their reaction is, reasonably enough, a big yay.
For others, it’s a much a closer call either way. And a significant number of schools have done their sums and concluded, pretty easily, that they stand to lose a good deal of income if they opt in. We shouldn’t assume that the parents in those schools would react by confronting their school boards with a ‘‘What the hell?’’.
Because parents, as a group, aren’t indifferent to the quality of services the schools are able to give. The prospect of their schools losing tens of thousands of dollars by the transition may quite rightly hold scant appeal.
More than 90 per cent of eligible schools nationwide are reportedly taking up the offer. However, among Southland secondary schools the uptake is particularly low. Only Menzies, Aurora and Aparima colleges want in. (James Hargest College and Fiordland College are above decile 7 and not eligible.)
It doesn’t go without saying that the great majority of parents are also taxpayers. It won’t be lost on some of them that they’re paying in both capacities this year, inviting a sense of displeasure that’s unlikely to dissipate from the knowledge they will continue to receive tax credits for their school donations.
The scheme, by the way, doesn’t require a one-time-only decision. Whether or not to opt in is an annual option, so schools may change their minds at any future year.
And the Government has also signalled that it may make changes, too, after evaluating how things work this year.
Decile 8-10 schools may in future be offered inclusion. It must be said, though, that
Decile 8-10 schools may in future be offered inclusion. It must be said, though, that Education Minister Chris Hipkins tends to look at them askance.
Education Minister Chris Hipkins tends to look at them askance.
Hipkins has portrayed this year as one to spot loopholes in the system, such as the potential for some schools to be cleverclever by taking the $150 and still figuring out other ways to rake in donations. He adds, though, that ‘‘frankly’’ the decile 8-10 schools are more likely to be in a position to do that.
Yes, well, even if the highest-decile schools are offered entry in future, if the proffered reward remains set around $150 per student, it’s going to be an offer they will have little difficulty rejecting with blows and curses.
There’s one big change ahead in any case. The whole decile system is widely accepted as a blunt tool for delivering equity funding, and the Government has flagged that deciles will be replaced within a couple of years by an Equity Index that apparently we should expect to better align equity funding to the actual levels of need.
Whichever way schools have called it in 2020, a good decision for now might not be a good decision for later on. Things change. And, good Lord, schools have come to know this by bitter experience.