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Extra funding for 2421 schools to help raise achievement

Hon Hekia Parata

Minister of Education
07 September 2016
Extra funding for 2421 schools to help raise achievement

Almost every state, state-integrated school and kura will receive a share of an extra $12.3 million to support students at risk of under achieving.

“This extra funding represents a 1 per cent increase to the $1.35 billion in operations grants funding for 2017,” says Education Minister Hekia Parata.

“So let’s be clear, there is no funding freeze.

“Unlike in previous years, the increased money is being targeted to those students at risk of under achievement. These are students from families on long term welfare, as evidence shows that these students are one of the biggest groups at risk of not being successful at school.

“Working together with the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) we have identified around 133,000 students in this situation, attending all but 15 of our smallest schools.

“That means that 99.4 per cent of eligible schools will be getting extra funding.”

Schools are being notified today of the exact amount they will be receiving in the targeted funding. They will be getting $92 per eligible student, as opposed to just $16 under a blanket distribution.

Overall, this means some schools will receive a few hundred dollars whilst others are getting up to $57,000 with one exception receiving the most at $109,000, reflecting the challenges their students face.

“The education sector has been asking for more funding for students at greatest risk of educational underachievement, which is exactly what we’re doing with this targeted funding,” says Ms Parata.

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Low decile schools, and regions with large numbers of students ‘at risk’ of educational underachievement, will benefit most from the targeted funding increase.

In the Waikato, all 273 schools will receive additional funding, as well as in Auckland and the region taking in Bay of Plenty, Rotorua and Taupō.

“Alongside the targeted funding, schools are also being told today what their share of the operations grant funding will be for 2017. However, this is only an initial indicator, and will not be finalised until schools file their March 2017 roll returns with the Ministry of Education,” says Ms Parata.

“This Government has a clear track record of increasing spending on education. Investment in education is up by 35 per cent since 2008 and the early childhood education budget has more than doubled.

“With that increased funding comes the responsibility to ensure the money is being spent in the best possible way for all our children and young people to achieve.

“Our social investment approach is part of that, identifying and investing early in those who are most at risk of not being successful in education.

“This extra funding is a clear example of how our funding system could be changed to get more support to those students who need it most.”

Questions and answers:

Why would a school’s operational grant have gone up or down?

A school’s operations grant can consist of up to 23 components. Not all schools receive all of these components. But changes in any of them can move a school’s operations grant funding up or down. For example, a change in the number of students at a school will have an impact on the funding. There is a list of all 23 here.

Does the amount they receive in operational grant funding affect how much they receive in targeted funding?

No. The two are separate. The targeted funding is purely based on information about students who are from families on long term welfare.

How does funding per student for the targeted increase compare to funding per student for a universal operations grant increase of 1 per cent?

The targeted funding delivers extra money to schools to improve the achievement of their most ‘at risk ‘students. Schools will receive over $90 per student for each of the 133,171 students eligible for this funding. By contrast, a universal operations grant increase of 1 per cent would have delivered just $16 for every student regardless of their achievement challenge.

Will schools be told who these students are?

Schools are only being advised of the estimated number of students that meet the funding criteria. They will not be told the names of these students, to maintain their privacy.

Schools and teachers often know which of their students are most at-risk of educational underachievement, and know which students are behind where they should be in their learning.

When will schools receive their targeted funding?

Schools will receive their targeted funding as part of their operational grant funding at the start of Term 1 in 2017.

Is the targeted funding part of the Funding Review?

The targeted funding is not part of the Funding Review. But it does offer a clear example of how funding could be changed to have a focus on getting the money to those students who need the most support.

The fact that the operational grant is so complex, with 23 different components also illustrates the need to review whether there is a better way to determine and deliver funding to schools that is simpler and more effective.

http://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/1609/Targeted_ops_grants_map.pdf

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