Recently, Stanford announced $53 million to cover the costs of mandatory teacher registration and certification fees for three years, which we welcome. But this move merely scratches the surface of our much bigger teacher supply and retention crisis.
Right now, we are doing it hard. Stories of hardship in Aotearoa are everywhere. Despite promises of transformative support, only 249 families have benefited from the FamilyBoost childcare policy – a far cry from the 21,000 originally promised.
Only six state schools have applied to become charter schools, despite a multi-million-dollar set-up. Meanwhile, the school lunch programme has become so dysfunctional that it feels almost deliberate.
Some policies have had success. The cellphone ban is working well and the school attendance focus shows promise – due in large part to the relentless hard work of our kaiako (teachers) and schools.
We know what works. We know where the gaps are. We know what needs to be done. So, what should we expect from this year’s Budget?
Every tamariki and rangatahi (child and youth) deserves to thrive. Our classrooms are full of unmet needs. With real investment, we could transform lives.
Every student is a taonga and must be treated as such – not an afterthought once Budget wrangling is over.
The Charter School Agency has already burned through almost all of its $10m establishment budget, with just seven schools serving a little over 200 students.
Imagine if that $10m had been spent supporting the thousands of students already in our state schools.
Teachers would have said: leave Ka Ora, Ka Ako (the school lunch programme) alone and invest to strengthen it.
Let schools and whānau continue delivering lunches with aroha, instead of outsourcing to contractors serving up cold disdain through groups like Compass.
Our teachers are valuable professionals. We need more of them. We need smaller class sizes, pastoral care support and meaningful professional development to navigate an ever-changing world, including the rise of artificial intelligence.
Teachers are facing a wave of increasing student needs. A staggering 74% of teachers report worsening behaviour in classrooms, according to the Education Review Office. This, combined with intense workloads and constant change fatigue, is driving people out of the profession.
Schools urgently need integrated mental health support – school nurses, social workers, counsellors – working together with teachers. Our young people are facing unrelenting levels of stress and trauma. They need time, space, support and hope.
Alternative education (AE) should be a meaningful pathway for our most disconnected ākonga (students). Instead, it has become a form of desperate respite for schools unable to manage extreme behavioural challenges. Funding for alternative education places has not increased in 20 years, while need has skyrocketed with waiting lists in the thousands.
Alternative education should be visible, respected, and properly funded with:
· Fulltime counsellors, youth workers and social workers;
· Purpose-built spaces that foster belonging;
· Strong pathways back to mainstream education, work or further study;
· Programmes culturally anchored for Māori and Pasifika ākonga.
The new Christchurch North College – aimed at students struggling with mainstream education – shows promise. But these innovations should be inside the public system, not carved out for private providers.
At the heart of everything are our kaiako. We often say it – because it’s true – that teachers’ working conditions are students’ learning conditions. Our educators deserve better.
Smaller classes, robust support, real professional learning and, above all, a sense that they are respected and backed by the Government.
If this Budget is serious about building a future where every tamariki can thrive, it must fund what works. Fund hope – not hype.
