Why are private schools receiving extra Govt funding?

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Tue, 25 Aug 2009 12:00a.m.

Over the next four years private schools in New Zealand are to receive $35 million extra from an already stretched education budget.

Meanwhile, adult community night class funding has been slashed by $54 million, enviro school funding has been cut and low decile state schools are seeing serious reductions.

In south Auckland, Kings College and Otahuhu College run alongside each other, yet their financial situations could not be more different.

Kings College is a decile 10 school,has 950 students and had a 95 percent university entrance success rate last year.

It is also one of the best funded colleges in the country.

Otahuhu College on the other hand, is the largest decile one school in the country with around 1400 students.

That means the school receives little in the way of parental donations and doesn't even bother trying to fund-raise.

Despite the constraints, Otahuhu College does manage to balance its books thanks to the extra money it gets from the Government because of its low decile rating.

But a Government decision to lift a 10 year old cap on subsidies for private schools has sent a cold shiver through low decile schools across the country.

Four percent of all students in New Zealand are in private education, yet private schools presently get about 20 percent of the subsidy that state school students get.

The new National Government is seeing that amount increase to about 30 percent.

So how do private schools justify the increase in funding and what can be done to assist struggling low decile schools?

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Comments

25 Jul 2010 04:03p.m.

Jeffrey wrote:

Private schools are a benefit to society and are saving the government millions each year as they reduce the number of students under the state schools funded completely by the government. They also pay GST to the government for any costs or incomes along with taxes in the staffs wages. The government as offset a small proportion of these costs but is still in favour of the government. Other more successful countries such as Australia do not charge GST to private schools, and 35% of Australian students are enrolled at a private school. Here in NZ, most of the state school students have become worse and worse to the point of idiocy. We need to take GST off private school costs to allow for more private schools and a better education system in NZ.

11 Jun 2010 05:57p.m.

John wrote:

@Tim, you are a complete moron. since you went to a public school, you are completely oblivious to the wonders of a decent education and it is no surprise you turned out as such a moron, as previously stated

03 Jun 2010 12:22p.m.

Te amokura hemetangi whakarongo matai smith Te Aho tatairangi Te Karere wrote:

i was priviledged enough to attend a private school. "Priviledge" because our school was well-equipped and well resourced however there was not an advantage over public schools in reference to the quality of education.
should public school have the benefit of obtaining the resources that we had at private schools. i believe that this would enhance and bring public schools to an equal state of quality education like that of private schools. thus the only real advatage of private schooling was the accessibility to resources.

20 Apr 2010 07:38p.m.

@Tim wrote:

Re tim, I also went to a state school but having taught at a private school I must say there should be more private schools. It is no wonder you went to a public school and ended up like the way you did with absolutely no reasoning or common sense.

12 Mar 2010 09:27a.m.

Shirley wrote:

The initial article covers the story well, but it is interesting to read the follow-up responses. Most surprising is that so many don't recognise the basic variable i.e. that private schools are perfectly free to select their clientele. Whether this is based on need (if compatible with a Trust's mission) or that a 'poor lad' who is a fine athlete muscles and can add huge value to the school's Rugby team - or obviously, a 'poor' child who is bright and brainy and no trouble. "Ability to select" is the variable all commentators should have uppermost. On the other hand, a State school legally must take all it's neighbourhood youngsters on board, even though with the '(un?)desirable suburb' variations that can seem to offer anything from a 'rich' to a 'poor' overall pre-existing esprit or lack of. A private school selects, and further more can kick out (politely, of course) a youngster who disrupts the ambience. A strange note runs through the threads though; many are implying that a private school offers a 'better' education without explaining "how so?" Criteria selected students will be a lot easier to teach, won't they? Add higher parental concern and involvement and a softer task emerges for a teacher, who might not have been all that 'good' with a class of parently neglected unmotivated scalliwags. All of which points to the government needing to increase support (higher staffing ratio, for a start) to struggling schools

11 Mar 2010 06:40a.m.

Tim wrote:

Oh boo hoo. There is nothing wrong with going to a State School. Private schools should get no funding from the government and if you can't afford to go there, go to a State School. I went to both, and as far as I'm concerned the State Schools I went to were a million times better.

14 Feb 2010 09:10p.m.

jimmy wrote:

I also attend a private school in NZ, and "privateschooler"'s statement basically sums up my view. well said

17 Jan 2010 02:23p.m.

privateschooler wrote:

I go to a private school on Auckland's North Shore. Majority of the parents choose to sacrifice their earnings, while paying hefty taz, each year to send us to this school. Due to the recession we have seen many of our friends and peers have to change to the state system involuntarily. Yes, we have great facilities, yes we have great teachers, but that is only due to the massive financial sacrifices made by the school community as a whole. Every building we build is fundraised and worked for and as students seeing this value and sacrifice being made for our education fosters a spirit and a great work ethic to achieve and really maximise the investment that the people around us are putting on our education. It is not about the funding and it is definately not the school or teachers responsibilites, although this is a big factor, to determine the success of a school. The success of a school comes from the attitude of the parents and the students themselves to achieve. There is no use pumping funding into a place where there is no spirit of success already fostered by the actions of those who attend.

16 Dec 2009 01:42p.m.

cherie wrote:

My Husband and I both pay lots of tax.
If my children are in a private school or not they deserve the same amount of money spent on them as everyone else's kids.
There fore that would mean the private schools should get a lot more than the pitence they get at the moment.
That would be the fare thing to do wouldn't it.

07 Dec 2009 06:01p.m.

to steve wrote:

re: Steve. Your points are largely based on opinion with limited factual input and are not at all practical. Your first point is a question, and the answer is yes. Your second point is completely false. Private schools save the government millions each year educating its pupils, meaning the government does not have to educate these. If there are more private schools, the government will save millions more. These schools bring considerable benefits to the community, allowing for a better education for many. This brings significant choice to parents who are prepared to make a sacrifice for their children. They are directly benefiting NZ and should continue to do so, contrary to steve's belief. With his third point, steve, private schools are assessed on the same basis as public schools by the ERO, (not IRO)