Rising fuel costs leave rural schools short of relievers, trips under threat

The Ministry of Education is weighing targeted transport funding for small rural schools. Photo / Peter de Graaf

By RNZ

Rural schools are feeling the pinch of rising fuel costs, with some struggling to get relievers and even cancelling trips away.

Association president and Ōropi School principal Andrew King told RNZ’s Checkpoint that rural schools were becoming less appealing for relievers.

“Many of these relievers might travel over 100km in both directions to get to the school, which makes costs pretty exorbitant.”

Relievers were entitled to be reimbursed for mileage, but they had to request it, and it put a strain on a school’s operational funding.

In one case, a school had received a $970 bill for a water taxi for a reliever to be able to turn up to school.

Students were also affected, with attendance down as parents opted not to make the trip.

“Many of our rural families also need to drive a number of kilometres to get to a bus stop, not just the school, so that’s affecting attendance,” King said.

Class trips were also under pressure, with fewer parents volunteering to drive school groups to their destination.

On Wednesday, rural teachers met with the Ministry of Education to come up with a game plan.

King said the ministry was looking at attendance data to work out some targeted funding support for schools that needed it most - and those would likely be those that were rural, isolated and small.

That could come in the form of transport provision, or funding for mileage for teachers or families.

“The devil will be in the detail, and we just don’t have the detail yet.”

King said they were not addressing at this stage what would happen if there were fuel shortages on top of the cost pressure.

- RNZ