Vandalism hits schools hard

Somerville Intermediate principal David Ellery needs $7000 to cover vandalism. Photo / Janna Dixon

Schools are forking out thousands of taxpayer dollars to fix vandalism - and beefing up security with money they would rather spend on books and resources.

It's not all tagging and broken windows, either - one school had to fork out more than $1000 when a vandal hacked down seven native trees.

The principals want those funds spent on resources for their pupils.

On Auckland's North Shore, Murrays Bay School principal Ken Pemberton said the school had lost 21 computers after a burglar targeted the school twice.

Last year the thief broke into the school's computer suite and snatched 13 computers.

He was caught and jailed only to come back and steal another eight. "He actually admitted that schools were fairly easy."

The school is now receiving $60 a week in reparations, but it does not cover the thousands spent on new computers.

Pemberton said with the Ministry of Education funding the school just $1500 a year to repair vandalism, they could not afford CCTV and security patrols.

David Ellery, principal of Somerville Intermediate in Howick, will have to find an extra $7000 from school funds to cover vandalism to the school property this year - but he considers his school lucky.

The decile 10 school receives $2904 from the ministry to cover the cost of vandalism. The ministry will pay some of that back but in the meantime the school has to pay. "No matter how much it is, it hurts because it's wasted money."

The school had 2m-high fences installed four years ago but that did not stop someone cutting down seven native trees during the school holidays.

The trees had been planted when the school opened 14 years ago and included kauri and pohutukawa.

In Tauranga, Richard Inder, principal of Gate Pa School, wants the ministry to pay for security cameras and fences. "It's in their interests to protect their property."

Inder plans to take $8500 out of his school operations grant so the school can be patrolled every night by a security guard.

The school is also looking at upgrading its CCTV cameras at the cost of another $20,000.

On top of that the school will pay $5000 to repair vandalised school property such as broken windows and graffiti.

Inder said the school received about $3000 a year from the ministry and it had to make up the shortfall.

In Auckland last month, CCTV footage at Lynfield College caught a group of eight armed teenagers as they entered a classroom where they beat up a 14-year-old boy.

The teenagers - some from nearby Mt Roskill Grammar - entered the school armed with a softball bat and began punching the victim in front of his teacher and fellow students.

But while principal Steve Bovaird said the school received $25,000 a year for vandalism repairs, he added: "Last year we more than spent it."

In Tauranga, Otumoetai Intermediate has been deemed "high-risk" after they exceeded their ministry-allocated $13,249 vandalism grant every year for the past four years.

Principal Henk Popping and the Board of Trustees are now having to spend up to $100,000 of their operations grant on security cameras, including $40,000 on security fencing and $10,000 on lighting.

But security fences and cameras don't always work.

Pauline Cowens, principal of Tauranga Girls' College, said the school had been burgled four times despite having security cameras and high fences.

In Hamilton, Fairfield Intermediate principal Bill Noble said the school's decision to install security cameras four years ago after a series of break-ins has proved its worth.

When a man was seen entering the school grounds the images were presented at school assembly where one kid announced, "That's my uncle."

Millions paid out

The Ministry of Education has paid out $10.6 million on vandalism so farthis year.

That compares to $10.2 million last year and $9.4 million in 2007.

Vandalism is funded by the ministry on a scale of risk. Low-risk schools are funded as little as $3 per pupil, while high-risk schools are funded $25 per pupil a year.

The highest payment made was to Manurewa Intermediate.

It received $6926 in vandalism funding plus a $164,314 top-up to repair the cost of vandalism and burglary.