CAMBRIDGE - Cambridge High School's large deficit must be cut or it will damage pupils' education, says the Education Review Office.
The school had a $390,000 deficit last year and this year faces a deficit of $463,000 - the largest of any school in the country.
The ERO report says a lack of strategic planning is to blame for the school's problems.
"The financial position in which the board finds itself is predominantly the result of poor strategic planning, the acceptance of low-quality advice to inform decision-making and lack of rigour in monitoring the budget," it says.
"The financial plight of the school presents a possible risk to the on-going delivery of quality curriculum programmes to students and the improvement of some teaching and learning facilities in the school.
"If better information had been available and the board had sought explanations about the financial state of the school the crisis might have been averted."
The school was technically insolvent at the time of the review.
Board of trustees chairman Peter O'Brien said the school was working on a business plan with a financial controller appointed by the Education Ministry.
"There are also some really good positives in the school," he said.
"A lot of the expenditure has been an effort to achieve those positive outcomes and now they are in place."
(The report applauds the school's teaching and delivery of curriculum, and says it is "fortunate to have a motivated and committed teaching staff.")
Mr O'Brien said the business plan would "put the school on a surplus next year."
Cambridge High's principal, Alison Annan, is overseas.
- NZPA
Cambridge School's shortage of cash 'a risk to pupils'
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