Schools dipping into their own budgets to fund extra teachers to cope with roll growth

The majority of state schools are now using operational funding to pay for extra teachers, as principals warn school budgets are being stretched beyond breaking point.

Ministry of Education data released under the Official Information Act shows 2003 state schools paid at least one teacher’s salary from the funding last year – about 82% of all state schools.

That’s up from 1864 schools – or 76% – in 2019.

The Ministry allocates a specific number of teaching and leadership positions to each school based on its student enrolment numbers.

But it said schools often use operational funding for extra staff when they’re anticipating roll growth, struggling to recruit part-time teachers, or wanting smaller class sizes.

New Zealand Principals’ Federation President Jason Miles said some schools have far more than one teacher paid from operational funding.

“And that’s not sustainable. It’s a need rather than a want,” he said.

“We have increasing needs in our schools around learning and wellbeing, learning support. So it’s a principal’s responsibility to try and manage those responsibilities within the operational funding that we’re given.”

But Miles said that had become increasingly difficult as operational grants failed to keep pace with rising costs.

“Between 2011 and 2021, operational grant increases aligned loosely with inflation, but for the last four years, it’s been calculated that we’re now 11.7% below where operational grant levels were in 2018.”

The Government increased operational grants by 2% in this year’s Budget.

Miles said the pressure was forcing principals and boards to make difficult choices.

“Subsidising school events, camps, extracurricular activities, much-needed maintenance and renovations, all of those things, do suffer when schools look to provide the very best teacher in front of the children that we can.”

PPTA Te Wehengarua President Chris Abercrombie said the pressure on operational funding was affecting more than just teacher salaries.

He said operational grants covered everything from non-teaching staff and learning resources, to sports uniforms and science materials.

“Some schools have always chosen to use operational funding to supplement their allocated number of teachers, and that’s a valid choice.”

“But when 80 per cent of schools are making that choice, that says the Government’s staffing formula is not meeting the learning needs of our rangatahi,” he said.

Miles said principals had been facing “a cost of schooling crisis” for years, with staffing entitlements failing to keep pace with the needs of schools.

Teacher-to-student ratios are calculated using student numbers at each year level. The largest ratio is one teacher for every 28 students in Years 4 to 8, while Year 1 has the lowest ratio at one teacher for every 15 students.

The only change in the past five years was a reduction to the Years 4 to 8 ratio, from 1:29 to 1:28.

Miles said the change had not gone far enough.

“The needs of our tamariki coming into our classrooms don’t seem to be getting any less.”

“And when you look at the large numbers in the classroom, that can be a real challenge for our teachers.”

“That’s why many principals look at how they can put additional teachers and additional teacher aides in.”

Jaime Cunningham is a Christchurch-based reporter with a focus on education and general news. She joined Newstalk ZB in 2023 after working as a sports reporter at the Christchurch Star.