More schools line up to become charter schools as 18 bids move ahead

Northland College.

By John Gerritsen of RNZ

More state and state-integrated schools are considering converting to charter school status.

The Charter School Agency said 18 groups had lodged expressions of interest in conversion, with three progressing to contract negotiations.

That’s up from 12 in September last year, with two in negotiations.

The agency did not name the schools, but last year Auckland Muslim integrated school Al-Madinah said it had applied, as did Northland College and sponsor Te Rūnanga-Ā-Iwi-O-Ngāpuhi, though the school was later placed under a commissioner.

This week Te Rūnanga-Ā-Iwi-O-Ngāpuhi confirmed it was finalising its application for converting Northland College.

Charter School Agency chief executive Sean Teddy said converting state schools to charter schools was a new process and the agency was taking time to get it right.

“For example, we are working with sponsors and school boards to translate existing collective employment agreements into workable and flexible new agreements for school staff. As required by law, these contracts must be no less favourable than existing agreements,” he said.

“We are also balancing the Crown’s property interests with providing sponsors with fit-for-purpose facilities while fairly sharing responsibility for maintenance and development.”

Teddy said the agency was also balancing funding flexibility to ensure charter schools were not better funded than comparable state schools.

“This all takes time, but it will result in a sustainable network of charter schools with high flexibility and strong accountability for results,” he said.

Teddy said schools and potential sponsors were inquiring because they wanted greater flexibility over what and how they taught, how they used their resources, how they structured their governance, and how they could do things differently to better meet the needs of their communities.