Phil Friar of Papamoa School is happy to see the extra money come their way. Photo / File
Phil Friar of Papamoa School is happy to see the extra money come their way. Photo / File
"It's a 'one size fits all' and it simply doesn't."
Talking about the Government's school donation scheme, Tauranga Girls' College principal Tara Kanji is less than impressed.
The scheme, which essentially hopes to create a free education, sounds good, Kanji said, but the college could be at afinancial loss whether Kanji and the Board of Trustees opt-in or out and therefore are yet to make a decision.
"Resourcing curriculum costs for a 6-year-old I would argue costs less than for a 16-year-old so I can see why primary schools are opting in.
"Had the Government considered a tiered system then it may better reflect the differences in curriculum cost but instead it's a 'one size fits all' and it simply doesn't."
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Tauranga Girls' College principal Tara Kanji is still pondering whether the school should opt-in or out. Photo / File
Within the Western Bay and Tauranga area, 50 of the 67 schools are eligible for the new government scheme where $150 would be received for each student.
Nationally, about a third of all eligible schools had opted into the school donations scheme by the end of the school holidays - the Government has budgeted more than $75 million a year to cover the cost.
The ministry refused to give the Bay of Plenty Times regional statistics claiming they could not do so until the application period had closed.
Schools with a decile rating between one and seven were all eligible for the sum but the scheme required a law change expected to come into effect from the start of the 2020 school year.
The problem some schools are facing is once the school "opts in" the scheme requires them to stop asking for donations from parents.
Phil Friar of Papamoa School is happy to see the extra money come their way. Photo / File
It was a plain and simple decision for the decile six Papamoa Primary School principal Phil Friar who had already opted in.
"With our current roll, it looks like we will be getting something over $100,000. I would say we have the opportunity to make this a viable option for us," Friar said.
Across the harbour at Merivale School, principal Tom Paekau said the scheme was "just fantastic" for his decile one school.
"We will take it with both hands. It is extra revenue we would not necessarily have or be able to access."
However, he said he was feeling for his colleagues whose schools were not eligible for the donation.
Tom Paekau of Merivale School is welcoming the donation scheme with two hands. Photo / File
Being decile eight, Taumata School was one of those schools ineligible and principal Gen Fuller said she would have liked to have seen some transparency from the ministry on how it made its decision.
"Just like any community we have pockets that may be able to afford those school donations but there is a significant portion of families that aren't able to.
"Looking on a case-by-case basis is something I would have liked to see. It just seems short-sighted to implement it on deciles."
Ministry of Education head of sector enablement and support Katrina Casey. Photo / File
Education Ministry acting deputy secretary sector Coralanne Child said although the decile eight to 10 schools were not currently eligible to opt in, this was not set in stone.
"The minister has said the Government will monitor the donations replacement scheme once implemented, and consider any changes once it is up and running."
Education Ministry deputy secretary Katrina Casey said the number of schools that had applied was expected to increase now the school holidays were over since they have had time to "consult with their communities".
"Because the scheme is voluntary we have always anticipated that some schools may choose not to opt-in to the scheme.
"As it is an annual process, the schools that choose not to opt-in may choose to do so in a subsequent year."
The deadline to decide on whether to opt-in for 2020 is November 14.
