'Tis me again

http://betterfunding.org.nz/uncategorized/learning-assistants-from-mangere-auckland/

Here I am today. The New Zealand government has frozen the operation grants of all state primary schools for at least a 3 year period - the only way, virtually, to stop this is, to get them voted out in September.

For schools this means more students, but less funding to do anything. It also affects staffing, as support staff like learning assistants/teacher aides, librarians, office staff, finance staff also have had their wages frozen. Teaching staff received a payrise - anyone else in schools are blocked from receiving a payrise. So schools have been cutting support staff, cutting hours which HITS THE CHILDREN - the very people who need extra support and help. Children are not receiving the help they require; some are staying home because schools can not fund the help the need, or give support staff enough hours to help these students. It is appalling.

We had the union at school today to try and garner support for better funding for support staff, to enable schools to help the children who deserve it.

Hence these posters. I also have personal correspondence from the Associate Minister of Education today - they deny that educational funding has been cut... ask any school principal and they'll deny exactly what the government is saying!