MURITAI SCHOOL CHARTER CONSULTATION FINANCE FACTSHEET
Following our recent letter, we have had a number of people ask for further information about the use of funds within Muritai School and the cost of the various alternatives. The following additional information is provided in response to those requests.
Class Size
• The MOE “staffing entitlement”
o Year 0- 1:15
o Year 1 – 1:18
o Year 2-3 – 1:23
o Year 4-8 – 1:29
However as this funding is attached to the student (i.e. a year 0 child enrolment entitles Muritai to 1/15th of a teacher’s salary) it means that unless we have exactly the ‘entitled’ enrolments (or composite classes) the school has to pay the balance of the teaching salary out of its operational grant. For example in 2012 we will have approximately 50 year 4’s funded at 1:29. On MoE grant we are accordingly funded for 50/29th (1.72) teaching staff. Given you don’t want 50 kids in a class nor can you teach half of them for 72% of the time, unless you have a composite class, the school has to pay the additional 28% of the teaching salary out of its operational grant (which is the money received from the MoE to pay for essentials like heating and lights and ‘non-essentials’ like computers and books). Even with the composite classes operated by Muritai alleviating some of the shortfall, the MoE funding structure leaves class sizes well above the “entitlement” levels.
• The MOE fund Muritai to operate 17 classrooms; we operate 19.
• The average class size at Muritai in 2011 is 21.6 ranging from 18-25 (year 1-6) and 28-29 at year 7 & 8
• The MOE funded class size average for Muritai is 25.5. With composite classes at all year levels the ‘best’ achievable spread within MoE grant would be classes ranging from 20-24 at years 1-2 and 25-30 from years 3-8
• With other things remaining as per status quo, a reduction of 1 classroom (to 18 across the school) would result in an average class size of 23.4 ranging from 20-24 at years 1-2 and 23-26 from years 3-8 (30 in year 5)
Please note that these figures are based on the Boards best current estimation of 2012 enrolments and staffing availability. There are many variables and permutations which affect class sizes and the projections are provided by way of example only.
Voluntary donation
• In 2002 – Voluntary donations were $250 (decreasing per additional child) raising approx $75,000 – cost outlay for 2 teachers was $37,500 per teacher = $75,000
• In 2011 – Voluntary donation were at $350 (decreasing per additional child) raising approx $95,000 – cost outlay for 2 teachers is $57,500 per teacher = $115,000 (meaning a direct cost to the school of $20,000 to fund these extra classrooms – more if the donation is not supported at this level)
• In 2010 39 families made no contribution to the school by way of donation. 12 families paid neither the donation nor the activity fee. There was a shortfall in 2011 of $25,395 in donation and activity fee receipts. (Note the activity fee is not optional but pays for out-of-class activities throughout the year. Whilst the Board is extremely reluctant to do so as it singles out children, it is likely that we will be forced in term 4 to exclude children whose activity fee remains unpaid, without notification to the school, from things, such as EOTC week)
• In order to retain existing class sizes and provide necessary additional investment in specialist budgets (as below), ICT and staff professional development the donation would need to increase to around $600-$700 per year per child (decreasing per additional child) and the Board would need to be confident of receipt from same (or better) proportion of the school community.
Special needs funding
• Reading recovery - The MoE pays for 1 child to receive reading recovery support. At present 12 children receive this support across the year - cost to school is $25,875. There are presently around 40 children at Muritai who have completed reading recovery.
• Special Education Grant - this is the MoE funding for children who need extra learning assistance. It is based on role and decile rating and accordingly the MoE funds Muritai just $15,958. The actual cost of delivery is $51,919 - cost to school is $43,961. There are 92 students at Muritai currently receiving either 1 to 1 support or additional support through an adapted in class programme.
• Support for children with high needs (ORSS) - The MoE funds support for our special needs children for only a portion of the week. Total MoE grant received - $63,390; Actual cost of support - $87,234 - cost to school is $23,842.
ICT funding
• MoE provides $17,948 for ICT purposes. Our equipment, operational and lease costs for 2011 total $48,807 - the overall direct ICT cost to the school is $30,859
• Muritai utilises mobile pods of laptops rather than a computer suite as we have neither the space nor resources to set up a computer suite. Laptops in the classrooms also enables better integration of ICT into the learning environment. Computing hardware is leased rather than purchased to minimise ongoing repair costs (which are substantial).
• We currently have 2 pods of 18 laptops each across 420 children. On average each child currently uses a laptop in class for 1 hour each fortnight
• Leasing a pod of 18 laptops costs $12,240 per annum.
Specialist budgets
Due principally to the diversion of funding to provide additional staffing to keep class sizes small, the budgets for the curriculum resourcing are significantly smaller than the Board would prefer. In 2011 the Budgets are as follows (based on our grading roll of 400):-
• Art - $6,000 ($15 per child per annum)
• Music - $500 ($1.25 per child per annum)
• Te Reo - $500 ($1.25 per child per annum)
• Maths - $2,000 ($5 per child per annum)
• PE - $2,000 ($5 per child per annum)
• English - $3,000 ($7.50 per child per annum)
• Science - $500 ($1.25 per child per annum)
• Social Studies $500 ($1.25 per child per annum)
