Media release
Time to recognise work of school trustees
With the triennial trustee elections happening in May this year, it is appropriate to
recognise the great work that school trustees do in the running of our 2,460 state and
state integrated schools says Lorraine Kerr, President, New Zealand School Trustees
Association.
Some 15,000 trustees are elected to school boards by parent communities each 3
years, and willingly take on the responsibility, and accountability, for the overall
running of their local school, and including student achievement.
Boards of trustees are responsible for developing the policy framework which the
school must operate within, the strategic plan for the school, and make the tough
decisions on sometimes complex operational/educational issues which can impact on
the entire community says Lorraine Kerr.
“School trustees deserve all the recognition they can get, because they are extremely
dedicated members of our communities who care about the education of our children,
and are prepared to give their time to ensure that our kids are given the opportunity to
achieve to their potential”
In NZ, some 2,460 elected school boards are accountable for the education of some
760,000 primary and secondary students, the expenditure of some $1.2 billion per
year in the day to day running of our schools, and in another $400-$500 million per
year in property development/maintenance.
And remember, there is no pay that comes with the job:- just the requirement that they
work tirelessly and devote countless hours “pro bono” to ensure that a high quality
education is available for the young people of our communities says Ms Kerr.
In many ways, it may be seen as a somewhat invisible and thankless job to be a school
trustee, but that is far from the truth, as evidenced by the over 100,000 trustees who
have served on boards over the past 20 years, and the fact that trustees themselves
enjoy the experience.
While trustees get very little public recognition for the critical job they do, we know
from recent surveying that some 93% of trustees describe their experience as a board
member as very positive/quite positive, with 92% believing their time on the board
has benefited them in terms of their own personal growth.
We have much to be grateful for in our NZ education system, and the contribution
made by ordinary New Zealanders through boards of trustees is extraordinary, and
deserving of recognition says Lorraine Kerr.
I would like to invite Editors of our papers, the news media, and the school
community to acknowledge and thank trustees for the work they have done for our
students to date, and into the future.
[ends]
For more comment contact: Lorraine Kerr, President NZSTA, 021 736 596 or 027
687 5606