Students and parents disillusioned after school closure

THE MINISTRY of Education's process, in deciding the closure of Waverley High School, has disillusioned students and parents, former principal Joan Manson said last night.
Mrs Manson, who retired from the school in 2005, and is the Waverley Community Education Action Group said students now knew public servants lied, and that the Government made decisions based on allegations not facts.
"If the matter had been put to a court of law, before a judge and both sides had been heard the school would have stood a very good chance of not being closed."
"Going to court and having to present hard evidence would have been a much fairer process than relying on a Government commissioner."
With the school officially closed and its students on Monday heading to Patea Area School and schools in Wanganui, the group held a meeting last night to discuss the future.
"The people are feeling very disillusioned. One woman said to me 'It used to be muskets and blankets to get us off our turangawaewae (place to stand) now it is free transport, free uniforms and free books'."
"Some feel Waverley has been treated like a meat market for Wanganui schools. Whereas Patea school's principal Te Aroha Mackintosh has worked tirelessly to support Waverley."
"Waverley is a good little community and we don't believe the ministry has treated us well, but we are hopeful of starting satellite classes here."
The meeting, she said, decided there would be some farwell gesture for students who on Monday will be bussed to Patea Area School where they will be greeted with a powhiri.
However nothing had been able to be planned for those bussing to Wanganui schools, the buses having to leave well before the Patea bus.
The possibility of a reunion being held later in the year was also being considered.
Brian Wansborough, a Wanganui educational consultant employed by the ministry to wind up the school's affairs, told the Chronicle 12 of the students were going to Patea, 15 to Wanganui City College, five to Wanganui Girls' College and four to Wanganui Intermediate. He had yet to learn where five other students would go.
He said his responsibilities included seeing the students were happy in their new schools.
As to the future of the school's 11 teachers, He will tell them their options at the school on Monday at 10am. They include re-deployment, re-training, redundancy or retirement pay-outs.
The school buildings and land, if not wanted for alternative educational uses, would go through a formal disposal procedure. If not bought back by the previous owner, it could be put into the Maori Land Claim Bank and if that was not agreed to, put up for sale on the open market.
The school"s teaching resources and equipment would be offered to the Wanganui and Patea schools and anything left including furniture and vehicles sold.
Waverley High School was opened in 1954 and extended to Form 7 in 1977. The school was closed this month by Education Minister Steve Maharey on the grounds of declining roll, poor NCEA performance and a negative Education Review Office report.