This article was published in the New Zealand Herald of July 28th 1999, page A15 under the headline “Poor Schools could lead to permanent underclass”

Education seems to be an area where one problem quickly replaces another. In Auckland we have had recent problems of teacher supply, roll growth and providing for children with English as a second language background. To their credit, the Ministry of Education has been very responsive to all three issues.

However, as we move into the 21st century, two new problems have emerged; boys in education and the increasing educational disparity between schools in poorer areas and those in wealthy areas

The increasing gap between wealthy schools and poorer schools is of enormous concern. Poorer schools are usually identified by ethnic as well as economic characteristics. There are major social as well as educational implications of the failure to address the plight of schools in less wealthy areas.The eventual cost to our future New Zealand society will be enormous in both economic and social terms. We are well on the way to the establishment of a permanent socio/economic under class.

The reality is that equity provisions for many New Zealand schools have failed. It was David Lange’s original concept to provide Equity Funding for schools in economically disadvantaged areas (decile 1-4) to try to balance the financial advantages of schools in wealthier areas. Greedy bleating now sees Targeted Funding extended to decile 9 schools. Only schools in very wealthy suburbs like Remuera (decile 10 schools) don’t receive any additional equity funding – now known as Targeted Funding.

Some years ago (1992) our school was delighted to have raised $1300 from a raffle, of donated goods and services. In proudly telling of our accomplishment, I was staggered to be told of a wealthy inner Auckland school, which raised $35,000 in one night at a goods and services auction! The ability of some schools to so easily, draw on their local community for lavish financial assistance, and the converse, create worrying distortions for the provision of educational equity.

Time and again we read newspaper reports of schools in economically poor areas receiving poor E.R.O. Reports; of being de facto social welfare agencies, of being unable to provide anything more then very basic resources and programmes, of not being able to charge school fee donations because so few in the community can pay them. Their local communities can not sustain large scale fundraising however willing they might be.

The provision of computers and Infotech equipment is rapidly bringing the dilemma of low decile schools to a head, (the government’s suggestion of second hand cast off computers from the business sector is not the answer). Low decile schools can
not adequately provide the resources to meet the needs of this crucial new area.
To set up a computer suite with 15 – 20 computers, cabled and networked costs $60,000 – $70,000. Schools in poorer areas would be hard pressed to ever pay for Internet connection for the year.

Library book costs are such that a relatively small carton of books can cost $1,000 for just 50 books. To buy just one new library book per pupil in an average sized school of 300 pupils will cost $6,000 with another $600 for strengthening tape, book jackets, issuing slips and the like.

Schools in wealthy areas are likely to have music suites, specialist tuition and foreign language tutors. Their sports teams have official uniforms including tracksuits and the school will be inundated with sports equipment. They have easy access to sponsors, to newsletter advertisers and as they are perceived to be more successful, have retailers offering them special prices or opportunities to trial new equipment within the school. One large primary school is currently in the process of buying a baby grand piano to go with their electronic organ and synthesiser. Schools in poorer areas are content to buy school guitars from “The Warehouse.” We can not continue to allow in this country, the development of a two- tier system of education based on economic and racial characteristics.

Political parties need to show integrity and moral courage in recognising the problem and, doing something about it. The Ministry of Education and the teacher unions need to show vision and leadership.

Low decile schools need extra compensatory funding of generous proportions. They need to have made available to them curriculum and management consultants and mentors on a long term basis. They need social workers urgently attached to clusters of schools and one-stop-shop clinics established in central locations with health, career and welfare components.

To attract more quality teachers to what are traditionally “hard to staff” schools, a realistic salary differential has to be paid – at least $10,000 a year, performance based if necessary. Incentives such as travel reimbursement and child care subsidies should be an integral part of the package (some schools are already doing this).

Where will the money come from? If we go back to the original Lange concept of giving extra funding only to those schools in poorer areas (decile 1 – 4 schools) then some of the money can come from within Vote Education by redistribution. However, the scale of need is such that with additional incentive salaries, additional targeted funding, paid mentors and consultants, attached social workers and the establishment of ‘one-stop- shops,’ additional funding of around $80 – $100 million dollars is required.

While conceding that education has done quite well financially during the period when Wyatt Creech was Minister, an additional $100 million is not a lot in the context of a $5 billion dollar budget. It is certainly not a lot when compared to the cost of over runs of the police computer system or the purchase of the most expensive naval frigate option of $550 million. Indeed even the staff training money recently spent by W.I.N.Z. could probably fund a pilot project in a poor school.

What is required is a recognition that the problem exists and a commitment to doing something about it. We need closely monitored, targeted funding to those in need.

Whether intentional or otherwise, we are very close to the creation in New Zealand of a permanent under class characterised by poor health, poor education and poor life prospects – a whole generational tradition of welfare dependency, unless we can break the cycle by good, compensatory educational provision. The problem is urgent. The problem is largely financial. The problem is now.