The Better Funding Roadshow bus arrived in Whanganui yesterday to spread the message that a government "global funding" proposal for schools is unacceptable.
Education unions NZEI Te Riu Roa and PPTA have united to oppose the proposal which they say will lead to fewer teachers and bigger class sizes and the loss of any nationally consistent teacher to student ratios for year levels.
They say it is also likely to lead to increased casualisation of teacher jobs which could undermine the quality of teaching, create further downwards pressure on support staff pay and remove the government's responsibility for issues such as class size and curriculum breadth.
Another concern is that global funding is likely to remove certainty about increases in funding to keep up with cost increases or population growth.
The roadshow comes after a series of stop work meetings by education staff around the country in September.