Please take time to consider this letter carefully – it contains important information about the future of Muritai School.
In 2011 the Board is reviewing the School's Charter and we would like your input into this process. Change from 2012 onwards is inevitable and now is your opportunity to help shape our future.
“Being the best that we can be” is the Muritai School motto which you will have heard again and again. It applies as much to the school itself as it does to our hopes for our children. For this reason we are constantly pushing ourselves to do things better, to find new and imaginative ways of inspiring our children, and to be on the cutting edge of education in the 21st Century.
The Muritai School Charter is the foundation for this journey. It is both the Board’s contract with the government and more importantly a statement of the heart and vision of the school as well as reference point for all decision making. As such, it is an incredibly important document and one which the Board is determined to ensure reflects the hopes and aspirations of the community which it serves. In 2011 we are re-drafting this document to take us through the next 3-5 years and accordingly NOW is your opportunity to have real input into decisions guiding the direction of our school.
Muritai School is at a crossroads. Financially and strategically, the simple truth is that the school cannot continue to operate as it has been for the last 10 years. Change is therefore inevitable.
One of the biggest driving factors unfortunately, but unsurprisingly, are our financial resources. These are difficult financial times which, particularly given the disaster in Christchurch, will not improve any time soon. Schools in NZ are funded on a per student basis with schools with higher ‘decile’ ratings receiving less per child. Muritai has the highest decile rating (10) and therefore receives only very limited funding to pay for the “extras” which contribute so significantly to the quality of education at Muritai.
On a total operational budget of around $2m, once essentials are paid for according to government grant (maintenance, administration and operational costs, teaching salaries etc) the Board is left with just $78,000. In an effort to ensure the best overall outcomes, past and present Boards have allocated $40,000 of this funding to meet the additional teaching requirements of children with special needs and requiring learning support. The $40,000 bridges the gap between the Government grant and the level of support required. This leaves just $38,000 overall to resource the curriculum in literacy and numeracy, fund ICT, sports and arts programmes, library and curriculum books, enrichment programmes, te reo etc. The Board appreciates the work of the home and school to supplement this resourcing.
Parents at Muritai, through the school donation and a strong Home and School fundraising programme, contribute approximately 5% of the school’s total funding requirement. While fundraising mostly tops up the above-mentioned “extras,” the donation was introduced 15 years ago to directly fund smaller class sizes. However, whilst the donation has risen from $250 to $350 per child, it has not kept pace with the increasing costs of teacher salaries. When initially instituted, the school donation easily paid for 2 teachers. Since then (including this year) the school has been staffed on that basis (with resulting smaller class sizes). The donation however now pays for just 1.5 teachers and the Board is now having to underwrite small classes from the operational grant. Add to that the exponential rise in the cost of everything else and we can no longer afford to function as we have.
Additionally, there are 2 critical areas of investment which we as a Board see as essential for Muritai to be the best that it can be going forward. They are investment in our teaching staff and in our ICT hardware.
The evidence is overwhelming that the 2 biggest contributors to student achievement are the level of parental engagement and the quality of the teaching. We can all recall those teachers who inspired us, who challenged us and in many cases who could be said to have changed the direction of our lives and we are privileged at Muritai to have some excellent teachers who are doing just that for our children. The Board sees developing, retaining and where necessary recruiting excellent teachers as a priority if we are to be a leading 21st century school. Budgetary restrictions in 2011 have meant that we have been forced to sacrifice unacceptably the continuing development of our teaching staff. This cannot continue if the school is to move forward.
The second area where investment is desperately needed is in the area of information technology. We currently spread 40 laptops around 400 children, meaning access to the tools of the 21st century is unacceptably limited. You will have read in the news recently how one college in Orewa is dealing with this. The media have had a field-day but one sympathises with a desire to educate their children for the future on a budget of the past. Investment in ICT at Muritai is an urgent need and one that we continue to defer at the expense of our children.
These challenges are significant but not insurmountable. As a Board we are already planning and strategising our next steps. As we review the Charter in 2011, we are seeking your input. Change from 2012 onwards is inevitable and we reiterate that now is your opportunity to help us shape the future of Muritai.
Attached to this letter is a consultation paper highlighting the 3 key areas in relation to which the Board seeks your input. To start with we would strongly recommend you review the existing Charter which is found on the Muritai School website.
There are then many ways you can participate in the discussion.
· The Charter Blog at www.muritaicharter.blogspot.com. Here we will post thought-provoking material to assist the debate and discussion
· By email at Charter@muritai.school.nz
· by online survey
· and of course by discussion with any of the Board
Links for each can be found in the new Charter Consultation page accessed from the Muritai School website.
We look forward to talking with you to discuss how we can together meet the challenges and take hold of the opportunities before us to make Muritai School the best that it can be.
Kind regards
The Muritai School Board of Trustees
Muritai School Charter Consultation Discussion Paper
Below we set out the 3 key areas – Character, Construction and Curriculum - in relation to which the Board of Trustees seeks your input. The “key discussions” mentioned under each category are intended not as exhaustive lists but as discussion starters highlighting the themes considered important by Board and giving a flavour of the types of issues which you might like to discuss.
Character - the Character, intent, heart of the school
This is summed up in the first page of the Charter. Our Purpose; Our Environment; Our Values – it contains the phrases and ideas that serve as a foundation for all our self-review and governance.
Key discussions:
· Are we comfortable with the Charter goals set out on the 1st page?
· What are our aspirations for our children?
· What do we want from Muritai School to provide for our children?
· What do we see as skills required for a successful future?
· What special traits are there about being an Eastbourne based school that we should be taking advantage of? (eg access to both the harbour and bush reserves is something we are blessed with and already make use of but are there more special features we can use to help differentiate our kids learning experience.)
· Do we have any concerns or further observations about the Muritai culture?
· What are the key strengths and drivers of the Muritai culture?
Construction – how the school operates
This focuses on the organization of the school to ensure that quality learning takes place.
Key areas here are finance, property, personnel, community engagement, and self-review that lead to improved teaching and learning.
Financial Constraints mean that structural change is urgently required between personnel and finance. The status quo is not viable going forward.
Result – clear resolution of class sizes; additional teacher donation; innovative teaching ; peripheral changes – (uniform, homework, reporting); student opportunities; future investment
Key discussions:
· What are our priorities around learning? (in particular those that are finance constrained) – e.g. extra teachers, class sizes, quality teachers, ICT, innovative teaching, extension opportunities, art, music, drama, remedial programmes
· What do we do well/what could we do better, with respect to the learning environment - e.g. classroom delivery, consistency of practice, quality teaching, support systems
· How do we view the learning process? Our approach to learning or the things that surround the role of learning) – Montessori learning/ longer hours etc
· Small class sizes vs alternative resourcing structures ie specialist teachers etc and ultimately, how we fund this.
· What class sizes do we expect. What would/wouldn’t we be happy with. Are donation payments and other support of school fundraising contingent upon certain maximum class sizes
· Could other resources and resources structures be funded instead of small class sizes for better results in student achievement
· Future physical layout/facilities/ operations of the school and our priorities given limited funding
· Community Engagement
o the role of the school in the community ie provider of after school care?
o Is there more that we should/could be doing or are we pulling our weight.
o what are our expectations with respect to level of parental involvement with a child’s education
o Homework and reporting.
o Can we engage more with some of the community organizations to achieve some better outcomes for all ie increased participation whether it be sports, arts, music etc
· Role of, and engagement with, the Board.
o Is there a lack of understanding in terms of what the Board does?
o Does the Board need to be more visible and provide opportunities for discussion and increased consultation?
o What does the community expects and/or wants of its Board in this regard. ie communication more than consultation.
· School uniform
Curriculum – our teaching and learning practice
A key factor will be the Board's ability to invest in support for learning – ICT, specialized teaching (including learning support), curriculum resourcing
The Board is seeking to understand the community’s priority for learning. Community views on classroom teaching feedback; curriculum width (science, languages, arts); thoughts for necessary change
Key questions:
· What do we see as priorities for learning – junior school, middle school, senior school
· How well are our children doing?
· Are parents engaged with the school in our child’s learning (what tools are effective/ineffective when sharing student achievement or engaging parents in their child's learning?)
· Preparation of students for life after Muritai -ie further investment in and focus on learning via ICT?
· Extension, reporting and feedback - across all aspects of the curriculum, with an outline of other options being used either here or overseas
· Are "personalised learning plans" a successful and effective strategy?
· Are our children are being "pushed"/extended sufficiently.
