Associate Education Minister David Seymour said there will be 35 state schools converted to charter schools within two years. Photo / Michael Craig
Teachers at state schools could be required to fill in for charter schools and share resources with them, granted the request to do so is “reasonable,” under current proposals from Associate Education Minister David Seymour.
As policy around the controversial schooling idea takes shape, Seymour has confirmed small state schools with about 200 students are the blueprint, in Budget funding.
The first wave of charter schools was expected to have about 200 students each over the next two years across 50 school sites, made up of 15 new schools and 35 conversions from state schools.
Proactively released papers show the Ministry of Education warning that careful planning would be needed over curriculum regulation and governance, as previous experience showed many charter schools were started by small organisations that lacked money and business experience.
The advice comes as a board considers applications for prospective charter schools, with legislation expected to be passed next month. Labour has promised to abolish the system again if it regains power.
The papers say that the charter school model aims “to lift educational achievement by increasing choice and enabling innovation in schooling”.
“Charter schools will be publicly funded but will be operated by sponsors holding a contract with the Crown.”
On April 2, Cabinet agreed on plans to share resources between schools – approving charter schools to use their own curriculum if standards are “at least equivalent” to students at state schools.
The issue of shared resources is being put forward “so that students continue to have access to shared resources and are not disadvantaged by attending a charter school”. If approved, state school workers “may not refuse” requirements from their employer to provide services to a charter school or to students enrolled at one, provided it’s lawful and “reasonable”.
Material seen by Cabinet’s Business Committee on behalf of the office of the Associate Minister of Education outlines the rationale behind the policy changes. Proposed amendments have been referred to the Education and Workforce Committee – a report back is due by September 5.
Seymour confirmed the aim was to have 15 new charter schools and “35 state-to-charter converted schools in the two-year period”.
New charter schools are assumed to have 200 students on average, Seymour confirmed in a statement. The average roll of state schools converting to charter schools is assumed to be 200 – with the assumption relatively small schools are the most likely to convert.
“The average roll of converted charter schools in 2026 and beyond was assumed to be 400, which is closer to the average roll of state schools,” Seymour said.
Under the proposals, a charter school operator will be able to sign a 10-year contract for state funding.
The Charter School Agency details that state schools could become charter schools “with the support of the community”.
A charter school authorisation board, appointed by the minister, would be given the authority to approve new charter schools, disestablish sites and provide advice to the Minister of Education, who has oversight around managing performances. An interim establishment board is giving advice until legislation goes through.
The agency, separate from the board, started work on July 1.
Applications for charter schools opened on July 11 and shut on August 9, with applicants due to be contacted in the first week of September.
If a state school wants to transfer to a charter school, it would be required to “provide evidence of community support” for the change. Consultation would also be required from the authorisation board before a decision is made.
The agency does not provide more details about what consultation would include, though a post on the Government Electronic Tenders Service confirms decisions will not be made until legislation is passed and the board is established.
Budget 2024 provided $153 million for up to 15 new charter schools to officially start up and 35 state schools to convert to become charter schools in 2025-26 – a move the tender states will depend on “demand and suitability”.
Material considered by Cabinet adds that converting state schools to charter schools would require top-level changes around the schools themselves – its board of trustees would be scrapped and replaced with a sponsor entity with a Crown contact.
A Ministry of Education document, prepared in early February, outlines “sponsor” entities, deemed the operators of the school, as being approved by the minister responsible for what were once partnership schools, under prior legislation.
“Sponsors were expected to be businesses or philanthropic organisations with substantial financial and business acumen. In reality, sponsors were mostly charitable trusts set up by small organisations that had a focus on kaupapa Māori, Pasifika, and Christian values. One sponsor was a limited liability company which had a military ethos,” the document prepared by the ministry earlier this year stated.
The February report, titled Key features needed to reintroduce a charter school model, shows officials considered three high-level options around regulation.
Under option one, charter schools would have “full regulation”, deemed the same as other state schools. The ministry suggested that option may limit people’s ability to “innovate” as students would have mandated time to spend on literacy and maths per day.
“[This] may reduce the opportunity for charter schools to try new things that could work for their students,” the ministry advice warned, though it added the regulations would support students to learn key skills.
The second option considered would include “light touch” regulations, allowing the relevant minister to specify certain requirements for schools outside of the rules.
The ministry suggested option two would give some clarity around performance management and monitoring, which is set to be stricter than what was in place under the previous partnership schools programme.
“High flexibility”, the same as for private schools, was the third and final option on the table, according to the Ministry of Education’s report.
Under the plan, charter schools would have the freedom to design their own curriculum.
Despite the seemingly positive tone around innovation in schooling, the ministry warned students may miss out on “important skills and knowledge” if the curriculum is taught too narrowly.
The document suggests it would be difficult to “directly monitor and support changes” to teaching and learning, under the third choice.
Seymour’s office has confirmed option three was chosen.
On the management of charter schools, the Ministry of Education recommended charter schools be required to have a chief executive, responsible for the school’s day-to-day activities and duties; advice confirms reinstating the rules would mean chief executives do not have to have a practising certificate.
A Cabinet meeting in June confirmed the Government’s funding for charter schools “should be broadly equivalent with funding for state schools”. Support around governance, finance and property will be given to prospective and new charter school sponsors by contractors, in current proposals.
A fact sheet from the newly set up Charter School Agency suggests charter schools will be “subject to greater oversight and accountability”.
“Charter schools will be closely monitored, with regular reporting and auditing to check they are meeting the terms of their contracts, including performance targets and outcomes,” the agency said.
Accountability measures will be stricter than those in place for partnership schools between 2013 and 2018. Schools not meeting their obligations are in for a visit from the Education Review Office or may be given requirements. The final sanction is to close the school.
Labour continues to oppose the moves around charter schools as the Government’s direction appears clearer.
Education spokeswoman Jan Tinetti told TVNZ’s Q+A recently that Labour would “get rid of them again”, suggesting they are bad for young people.
Post Primary Teachers’ Association/Te Wehengarua (PPTA) president Chris Abercrombie isn’t in support of the move to convert state schools to charter schools. In an interview with NZME, Abercrombie said it could take local schools out of local control.
He raised red flags about shared resources and claimed it was “effectively forcing teachers to work in charter schools”.
A number of PPTA branches have passed a resolution against their school converting to a charter school.
Seymour has previously suggested teachers’ unions oppose the ideas because they’re facing what he calls an “existential threat”.
Clarifying the position around charter schools’ options, Seymour said “There are many curriculums in the world, but the New Zealand curriculum is the starting point for charters. However, charters can choose any one they can show the Authorisation Board has an advantage for their students. This provides students with more choice and opportunity to flourish according to their own strengths.”
“Charter schools will be subject to a high level of monitoring and accountability, and unlike state schools could be shut down if they do not achieve the outcomes they are funded to achieve,” the minister added in a statement.
Azaria Howell is a Wellington-based multimedia reporter with an eye across the region. She joined NZME in 2022 and has a keen interest in city council decisions, public service agency reform and transport.
