Thread by @We3forDemocracy

How the education reform proposals might affect schools, principals, trustees and parents

stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily…

This sounds complicated.
It seems mainly good (but I’m not a teacher)
I’d like to know what teachers (who have actually read the whole document) think.

For teachers and others who have not read the proposals, here is a link to the 148 page report of proposals

conversation.education.govt.nz/assets/TSR/Tom…

Given we have learned Super Cities are non-responsive to local needs - what do teachers who have read this info think main pros, cons, and effects

I’d predict:
1. Principals are not going to like their authority to devolve to a centralised “hub”.

2. These hubs will be reduced in number “to save money” and the power will be held even more distant to the operational area

3. Hub bureaucracy will grow, less 💰 for education

I have only read the intro & TOC

My (not fully informed) impression is that this has the potential to make the situation worse á la Auckland Super City’s centralised bureaucrats and decision making👉🏼 disconnection from specific needs of local residents or support of local Boards

Auckland Super City has clearly demonstrated that mega central bureaucracy can be a disaster on local level

Waiheke is a case in point. First the bureaucrats pushed for (and gained approval by Councillers who don’t live here for a marina at one ferry terminal, then at the other)

Approval of a marina (which will benefit only a few extremely wealthy people (most of whom likely don’t even live on Waiheke) was a decision against the majority of submissions

I’m sure an equivalent could (and would) happen in education if faceless bureaucrats rule what happens

There’s one more thing I’d like teachers and parents to think about when they read this (using how Waiheke is treated by the SuperCity Auckland)
Bureaucrats (who by the way, I suspect “mean well”) tend to have a cookie cutter mindset and a determination to treat everyone the same

Waiheke is an island.

For 99.9% of Waihekeans, ferry access points are our only way off the island to go to work, to go to university or for some students to go to schools, to go to specialists, other health care providers & hospitals etc.

Ferry area parking & access are vital

It should be obvious that the needs of an island can be very different from the needs of a central city suburb. But SuperCity bureacrats insisted parking be treated the same. It was so bad re disability parking one parking warden quit

What if your school is not a cookie cut out?