How selected primary schools in rural New Zealand manage their financial resources of limited government funding in order to effectively meet their schools objectives
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increased parent resistance was not so strong in the Waikato area. ERO Schools Use of Operational Funding 2006 found that some schools were more able to raise funds
locally and did so in a more cost effective way. “High decile schools, on average, raised the highest amount of funds per student, followed by middle decile schools, then low decile schools. While decile rating does appear to
be an indicator of a school’s capacity to raise funds, it is important to note that the variation in locally raised funds within decile groups was much larger than the difference between decile groups. This indicates that factors related
to individual schools other than their decile rating may have an impact on their capacity to generate local funds.” In a Consumer’s institute survey conducted in 2005 Consumer, November 2005, the topic of school
donations was discussed as an issue. Consumer’s survey of 119 state and state integrated schools, found only four schools decile one wouldn’t ask parents for a donation. The figures from that survey supported the research of
Wylie King 2005 that higher decile schools were more likely to ask parents to donate. Most schools seem to have a growing reliance on donations. While previously they would have been regarded as the “icing on the cake”,
today they are seen as increasingly necessary to the running of the school. The results of the schools in this current study reflect the general trends identified in the national research.
Whether the source of the local funds is from parent donations or PTA fundraising activities, there is a definite pattern to the Waikato Schools in this study. Schools are reliant on the contributions of their parent communities.
Whether the contribution is from money, manual labor, and professional expertise or enterprise skills is determinant on the “available capacity” of the decile of the school and how each school taps into and uses that
capacity to deliver its goals.
6.4 Pressures, constraints and challenges
Following on from Wylie’s study 2007a there were a number of similar pressures encountered in the Waikato schools. The three schools in the high and medium decile agreed that there was not enough operational
funding to support such things as: Relief teacher costs, increased ICT costs, maintaining professional development of staff, special needs, additional support staff.
There was a common theme of additional administrative work that the principals had to do, such as “paperwork” for the ministry, managing property issues, administration issues where lack of support staff
resources did not cover. These activities eroded the principal’s available time as leader for his teaching staff focusing on staff performance, development and the curriculum.
From the Snapshot of New Zealand Primary Schools, Wylie 2007a noted from her survey of primary and intermediate schools, all but 5 of principals said their funding was not enough to meet their school’s needs. Only
15 percent of principals thought they had enough funding to employ the support staff the school needed. Despite the financial pressures facing the Waikato schools, most reported that the school’s objectives to
raising student achievement levels in response to ministry initiatives of literacy and numeracy were working. Most also stated that the investment or resources put into the professional development as a result of these
initiatives were showing some “payback” in the benefits of improved student achievement in these areas. However, there were also comments made that more government funding was required to support professional development
in the “sustainability” of those initiatives. Funding for relief teaching to cover the professional development out of school hours and “non-teacher class time” assessment marking or attending courses, for example were some
of the issues principals noted required additional support in the operational funding. Factors that contributed to the effective management of the schools that principals highlighted include:
How selected primary schools in rural New Zealand manage their financial resources of limited government funding in order to effectively meet their schools objectives
27
z
The quality of teaching and support staff–they do the extra work to make the school offer something special High decile
z
Having a supportive board with a sense of direction
z
Having a whole community approach to doing things in the school–involving all students, parents, board members and staff–under the leadership of the principal by promoting presence, engagement and achievement
philosophy in their school low decile, medium decile. There was a strong sense of community involvement in all of the schools and most of the schools had
received positive feedback from their communities regarding their school’s effectiveness and achieving school objectives.
References:
Consumer. 2005, November. Donations, 453, 36-38. Education Review Office. 2006, December. Schools’ use of operational funding. Report from an investigation conducted by ERO
into how schools use their operational funding. Education Review Office. 2007, June. Schools’ use of operational funding: Case studies. Report from an investigation conducted
by ERO into how schools use their operational funding. Tooley, S. Guthrie, J.. 2003. Devolved school-based financial management in New Zealand: Observations on the conformity
patterns of school organisations to change. Discussion paper, School of Accountancy, Massey. Palmerston North, New Zealand. Wylie, C.. 2007a. A snapshot of New Zealand primary schools in 2007-Some key findings from the NZCER national survey.
Wellington: New Zealand Council for Education Research. Retrieved from http:www.nzcer.org.nzpdfs15870.pdf. Wylie, C.. 2007b. What can New Zealand learn from Edmonton? Wellington: New Zealand Council for Educational Research.
Retrieved from http:www.nzcer.org.nzdefault.php?cPath+345_130_137products_id=1991. Wylie, C. King, J.. 2004. How do effective schools manage their finances? Wellington: New Zealand Council for Education
Research. Wylie, C. King, J.. 2005. An increasing tightness–pressure points for schools’ financial management. Second year report from the
NZCER school funding study. Wellington: New Zealand Council for Education Research.
Edited by Linda and Mary
