Bulk funding scaremongering out of order

Labour education spokesperson Trevor Mallard has today written to all bulk funding schools refuting misleading information being spread by the Association of Bulk Funded Schools.

Trevor Mallard said the association had embarked on a scaremongering campaigned designed to get parents to vote for National. It has sent bulk funded schools an 'open letter to all parents' which urges them to tell people what their children 'stand to lose' if the bulk funding option is taken away.

"I do not believe for a moment their claim that this is not a political campaign," Trevor Mallard said.

"The information that they are asking schools to distribute to parents is incredibly misleading as it fails to disclose all the facts surrounding our decision to abolish bulk funding when in government.

"It is obvious that it is written in opposition to Labour, and I would therefore view distribution of it as blatant politicking on behalf of the National Party.

"I have told schools that I would prefer them not to act as delivery agents for misleading information and I believe that most schools will see the association's letter for the rubbish that it is. But I have also sent them a letter which I have asked them to include if they use the association's letter.

"Parents deserve to know both sides of the argument and I would view bias by schools extremely seriously.

"The reality is that more than 80% of schools, including bulk funded schools, will be better off as a result of Labour's policy on bulk funding alone. This is because all of the money National set aside for bulk funding will be distributed directly to schools using a fairer funding formula. It will not got back to Treasury as it did under National," Trevor Mallard said.

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