More funding needed to support young people at risk – PPTA

At least 10 percent more funding needed to support young people at risk – PPTA

Secondary teachers around the country are calling for extra funding for schools who teach at risk students.

“It is not tolerable to accept that some students will fail at school due to circumstances beyond their control,” PPTA president Angela Roberts said.

“Equity funding is one way we can compensate for some of those factors, such as low socio economic status and overcrowded and substandard housing,” she said.

“We have been looking at examples from the Netherlands and the USA that show a marked improvement in achievement by disadvantaged students after extra funding was allocated to those schools. The USA and Dutch examples of equity funding changes show that extra teaching staff are some of the most important resources that schools use to compensate for disadvantage,” Roberts said.

“In New Zealand, an equity funding approach that includes funding specifically for extra teaching and support staff, as well as operational funding is most likely to lift achievement.” Roberts said. “The PPTA believes the government should take up our wero and prioritise this approach.”

PPTA estimates that the amount needed to adequately compensate for the disadvantages some students face needs to be increased from $120 million per year to at least $400 million.

“If it is to succeed, an increase in equity funding must be “new” money. There is no fat in the system, so shuffling budgets from one school to another is not a solution.”

PPTA members will be addressing this issue at their annual conference later this month when they discuss the paper ‘Real equity funding: resourcing schools to support at risk learners’.

PPTA’s annual conference runs from 27 - 29 September and is an opportunity for members to debate, discuss and vote on papers that shape PPTA policy. Decisions are made by secondary teachers for secondary teachers.

ENDS.

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