Schools Will Get Substantially More Funding

Education Minister Wyatt Creech today assured schools they would receive substantial extra funding from the Budget, despite claims to the contrary.

"Schools should ignore claims that are being made that schools will receive cuts to the money they get for day-to-day running as a result of Budget announcements."

The Budget includes a 5 percent increase to the per-pupil rates of school operations grants, plus increases to a number of other components to the grant.

"The $61.2 million extra for operations grants will deliver an overall increase to the grant estimated at about 4.3 percent. This is over and above the estimated 4.5 percent provided in last year's Budget," Mr Creech said.

"All sorts of weird and wonderful figures are being plucked out of the air to contradict these figures. The NZEI claims for example that the per-pupil funding increases by only 2 percent in the first year and then drops off to half-a-percent.

"Such claims are just nonsense. Schools will get more money in their pockets. They will receive details of the indicative extra funding they are likely to get over the next few days.

"One consultant claims there are smoke and mirrors involved in the operations grant increase and that his figures add up to 2 per-cent increase. However he won't divulge how he has come up with this figure.

"I want schools to have confidence to plan for the future. I have given an undertaking to ensure the operations grant funding is looked at each year to ensure it covers appropriate costs in schools," Mr Creech said.

Schools will get more investment over-and-above the operations funding including $120 million more to help pay for almost 1000 new classrooms, $41 million more to give classroom teachers more training, and up to $200 million more for Special Education 2000.

"The Budget funding reflects the fact that schools have different needs. The schools will get the money they need to give all students a better education."