The Miseducation of Anne Tolley
Minister defends funding
Many private schools are struggling in the recession and "deserve to have some support from the taxpayer", Education Minister Anne Tolley says. Figures obtained by The Press show that on average, one private school a month has voluntarily closed in the past 15 months. Officials and sector leaders say more private schools are about to fold or apply to integrate into the state system. Tolley told The Press there was "no doubt" private schools faced difficult times. That was part of the reason why the Government had kept its promise of $35 million for private schools over the next four years.
As if tax cuts for the rich weren’t enough, National are helping their rich friends yet again. Ronald McDonald’s Girlfriend and Miseducation Minister, Anne Tolley, who forced junk food back into schools because it was ‘politically correct’ not to serve unhealthy food to our children, the woman who is currently trying to slide a pointless league system by stealth through Primary Schools to create a false competition model is also handing out taxpayer money to the Private Education industry. Now if you are rich enough to alienate your child by having them raised by a private school while you swan around as a master of the universe, then surely you should pay the bloody private school fees of that choice you have made, why the hell should we the taxpayer be called upon to bail these rich pricks out? If Mummy and Daddy are having a hard time in the recession, welcome to the real world, send your precious bundle of joy to the state school you currently fund through general taxation, calling on Taxpayers to subsidize your private education that you choose over the state education is a luxury that NZ simply can’t afford.
posted by Bomber @ 7:27 am
8 comments
8 Comments:
Hangon a second. All national are doing is replacing the funding that Labour cut. Its not new funding as such, it just brings it back to pre-2000s levels (adjusted, of course)
At the end of the day private schools play a vital role in NZ. If all private schools were to close tomorrow, the state system would collapse. Thus the private school lessens the burden for the state.
Thirdly, what you are effectively asking parents to do is pay twice. They have to pay for everyone else's education (and often at high levels too, being high earners), and then they have to pay for their own kids. It used to be that private school fee's were a tax deductable expense, after all you are removing a burden from the state.
No, no, no - you are 'choosing' to opt out of the State system so you bloody well pay for it, and suggesting that it's just 'replacing' funding Labour rightfully cut is just not tenable.
And Private Schools are only 4% of the school population, your vision of state schools collapsing under the weight of 4% seems difficult to see in reality.
Well Labour did cut the funding. National are bringing it back.
$% may be a nation wide figure, but in Auckland you probably have 8000-10000 kids at private school. Where do those kids go?
Lets not kid ourselves here, Private Schools provide a superior education witnessed by the fact that if it wasnt superior, nobody would pay the money. The choice that you speak of is often between 1st and 2nd rate education. Call that a choice?
No, no, no - you 'choose' to opt out of the public system and go private, you pay for that choice - why the hell should I subsidize you opting out of the state system and taking taxpayer money out of the state system to give to the private system?
Come on, I thought you were all about user pays - you use a private system, YOU pay for it. Why am I subsidizing your choice of private education?
Not a big issue. The private schools that are struggling just become integrated so that they get state funding anyway. Case in point: Wanganui Collegiate.
If you're worried about your precious taxpayers money getting wasted, consider this: Remember Labour's big election spend up buying KiwiRail for a billion dollars. It was the sale of the century for Toll - their laughter was probably heard in their head office in Australia. Now it's valued at $350 million. Thanks for nothing Cullen, you've thrown away $650 million in a recession. Now that's something to get angry about.
Or that $35 million your mates in National blew on military boot camps that don't work once the recession was actually announced. As for Rail, we need more public transport, not less.
I'm not fully sold on the "boot camp" idea, although something certainly needs to be done with youth becoming full-time criminals.
But $35 million is still small change compared to a $1 billion dollar election vote-grabber.
While we do need public transport, it was a outrageous waste of tax-payers money.
sdm says:
" .. you are effectively asking parents to do is pay twice. They have to pay for everyone else's education (and often at high levels too, being high earners), and then they have to pay for their own kids. It used to be that private school fee's were a tax deductable expense, after all you are removing a burden from the state."
I feel that it is the general taxpayer that is paying too much. They pay for the state system, and then they subsidise the luxurious system that they can not themselves afford!
These fees should not be tax deductible. Since when were luxuries tax deductible.
What we have here is 4 per cent of the population seeking to insulate themselves from segments of society such as slow learners and the full cultural richness of the country. They dump on the state all those that the elite private selection system does not want.
The state handout may increase, but the private schools may as well charge whatever their wealthy parents can afford. Charge more and more until the waiting list is optimised - that would be my strategy. Get the school as luxurious as possible and then see demand increase further.
Private schools like St Cuths and St Kents - not to mention new ACG Parnell facility - they are like hotels.
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