Limited statutory manager for college

Parents can expect to see changes at Mangakōtukutuku College as a government-appointed helper gets to work.

That’s the message from limited statutory manager Dr Shane Edwards, who has taken over several responsibilities of the Hamilton school’s board.

According to one parent, communication had already improved since a list of behavioural issues, including a lunchtime brawl, put the newly merged school under the spotlight.

However, they’re concerned many parents aren’t prepared to work with the school on solutions.

Edwards was appointed by the Ministry of Education after the school board asked for help, Ministry of Education spokesperson Jocelyn Mikaere said.

He started just before the recent holidays and has responsibility for employment matters, finances, communications, and policies and procedures.

Edwards said parents can expect to see “changes to improve the educational opportunities for children” on a daily basis.

“We've got our full year plan of meetings and the things that we want to achieve over the rest of the year, which is fantastic,” he said.

The timeline and projected costs of the intervention is yet to be confirmed, the ministry stated.

However, the aim is always to get the school back to managing itself “as soon as practical”.

From Edwards’ two weeks of work on-site, he has seen “hard working staff, good leaders that are passionate about education, and a very supportive board”.

The school - set up by merging Melville Intermediate and Melville High School opened its gate with a fresh identity in January, but was struck by a series of troubles.

In a lunchtime brawl, one person was allegedly “knocked out cold” and hospitalised for a minor injury, and police charged one other.

The school has since called in security guards and asked for parents' help.

A mother, who asked not to be named to protect her children, is friends with the victim’s parent. She said they met with the offender’s family and decided not to pursue the charges.

The mother was initially disappointed about a lack of action on warnings parents raised about pre-merger problems, but said she felt “really sorry” for the teachers after meeting with senior leaders.

Many parents, including her, had volunteered at the school.

“Me and my mate were prepared to stand by our children, and we’re also prepared to work with the school to come up with a solution to try to help our child.

“There’s more [parents] that aren’t prepared.”

Waikato Times understands there has been a reshuffle in the school’s senior leadership with Louise Handley and Peter O’Leary leaving their deputy principal positions.

O’Leary’s automatic email response says he has been appointed deputy principal at Te Aroha College, with Inia Daymond filling his role at Mangakōtukutuku.

Edwards declined to comment on individual cases citing privacy, but said all the three deputy principal roles are filled by either acting or appointed staff.