School Trustees - More money, less training?

Media Release 9 May 2013 – for immediate release

Attention: Education and Political Reporters

School Trustees - More money, less training?

“Why is there less face to face trustee training for new trustees than ever before if the Minister is allocating an additional $4.7m for supporting Trustees in next week’s budget?” asks Chris Toa, Chairperson of Wellington Wairarapa School Trustees Association. In her answers to the questions posed at the end of March by MP Chris Hipkins, Education Minister, Hekia Parata stated $9.785m has been allocated for this purpose over the next four years. Yesterday she announced the increased figure of $14.5m will be spent over that same time frame to support Boards of Trustees.

Mr Toa points out, “With a potential 7,000 new trustees nationwide you would think the Ministry and their main contract holder, New Zealand School Trustees Association, would be well underway with an intensive training programme laid out for new trustees, who will take office in less than a month.” At this point, locally in the Wellington region, there has been nothing advertised and the regional office of NZSTA has confirmed that there will initially be ‘just one two-hour trustee training session held in a limited number of venues around the region. These will occur during the third school term.’ “Historically, a successful and comprehensive programme of training has been in place, that has included workshops on the many aspects of trusteeship that need to be covered to provide trustees with the skills they need,” says Mr Toa, “and for boards with a high turnover at this election, it is vital that these same topics are covered as early as possible to ensure effective governance.”

The Minister on March 28th stated that just $410,000 would be spent on training for new trustees, out of this year’s budget of nearly $2.5m. Surely, being the election year, training for new trustees would be more of a priority, instead, just 1/5th of the annual budget is allocated to them, points out Mr Toa.

Now the Minister is announcing nearly a 50% increase in trustee training and support. “When she answered questions about the budget for this just six weeks ago did she really have no idea that it was to increase by $4.7m?” asks Mr Toa, “and, if she really meant, “For the over 2500 schools we have in New Zealand this investment is recognising boards of trustees do a volunteer job and need to be supported with skills and tools and that is why we're significantly increasing the resource,” then why would she not have made funds available, and ensured that the contract with NZSTA, focused on meeting the needs of new trustees as soon as they were in the job, not leaving them to stumble along in the meantime?”

While we are grateful that the Minister recognizes the need to provide trustees with quality training and support we are concerned about how the $14.7m will be managed to deliver the best possible value for money, and how the new trustees in June are expected to come up to speed to effectively govern their schools with so little initial support. With around a 50% turnover in local boards, our members would like to know how the budget increase translates into support for all trustees that is meaningful, relevant, timely, and free.

ENDS

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