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There’s alarm from the Greens at prospects of a new funding model for schools.
Education Minister Hekia Parata says she has a funding review under way to try to get better targeting of resources through analysing data held by government agencies about parents.
The ministry has suggested relevant factors could include whether families relied on benefits for prolonged periods, whether a parent had been to prison, and either parents had any formal qualifications.
Greens co-leader Metiria Turei says changing the current decile system, where schools get extra funding if they serve areas of socioeconomic need, has pluses and minuses but is better than what is being suggested.
"It’s a way of undermining communities, not supporting them because we know that in poorer areas, families are engaging in their schools and they want to make sure their schools are really good. They need to have access to local schools because they don't have access to transport. We need to make sure those local schools wherever they are, are really well funded and supported. I'm really suspicious especially with a government that are so committed to charter schools and funding the wealthy over poorer communities," says Metiria Turei
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