Katherine Rich MP
National Party Education Spokeswoman

25 September 2007

Call for longer lead-in time on changes to decile rating

Schools facing major hikes to their decile rating need at least a 12 month lead-in time to make adjustments to their funding cuts, says National's Education spokeswoman, Katherine Rich.

"The three months between now and next year is not long enough, when some schools are telling me they are facing funding losses ranging from $50,000 to $100,000.

"That's a lot of money to compensate for in such a short period of time".

After each census there is a routine evaluation of each school's decile rating. While some schools might go down a decile and receive more funding, others are re-rated upwards to face funding reductions.

"After major economic changes in some communities, some schools have been facing big decile hikes. One school I have spoken to has jumped from 2 to 5, leading to a major reduction in funding.

"No school welcomes a reduction, but the issue here is a reasonable transition time to make necessary changes.

"Ministry officials have been personally telephoning the schools that face the largest cuts.

"The Minister should allow them to offer a more reasonable transition time so schools can prepare for the changes in a managed way."

ENDS

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