Rolleston parents dumbfounded Govt would ‘attack schools’
Tuesday, 5 March 2024
Rolleston parents say they feel “absolutely disgusted” after one of the fastest growing schools in the country had the building of its second campus delayed and downsized by the Ministry of Education.
Rolleston College is bursting at the seams with 1800 students and expects another 1200 over the next six years.
On Monday the school revealed the ministry had slashed classrooms, counselling spaces, offices, sports courts, a whare, and more from the plans.
The school has since created a petition for a fully functional second campus.
After the cuts were revealed, parents in the area wrote to Selwyn MP Nicola Grigg and expressed how “absolutely disgusted” they felt, including mother of two Sheree Jobberns Densley.
Densley’s children, Lilly, in year 11, and Regan, in year 12, were supposed to enter the new campus next year. Now, it’s uncertain if either of them will see it.
“I didn’t think that they would attack schools,” she said. “If they’re all about better education for our kids, why are they shutting down the build?
“This government, in my eyes, is a ‘do as I say’, not a ‘do as I do’ - ‘we’re gonna waste as much money as possible … but screw the little guy’.”
Ben Broad has an 8-year-old and a 12-year-old, and fears they won’t have a spot at the school despite living in-zone.
“The roll is expected to drastically grow - just slapping a bunch of prefabs down in a field … it just doesn’t make sense to me, and it’s just so disappointing, especially on the back drop of the massive tax cuts the government is rolling through.”
A civil engineer by trade, Broad questioned whether the Government was saving any tax-payer cash as “they lock in the contracts for those [schools] years and months in advance”.
Broad also wrote to Grigg to implore her to advocate for the future of the area’s children.
A reply from a spokesperson said: “Our Government has inherited a school property system bordering on crisis.
“There is a clear need to review the school property system to ensure we can deliver the school property our children deserve, while protecting taxpayers from further cost blowouts.”
At the school gate
Outside Clearview Primary School - from which children often go to Rolleston College - parents at the gate on Tuesday were fuming at the Government’s plans.
Hannah Kerr, who has an 8-year-old at Clearview, said: “If they don’t build another school, where do we send our kids?
“If that’s the case we might have to look at moving into town, where there is actually a decent school.”
Kirsty Drummond, who has a daughter in year 3 at the primary school, said that she was “quite disgusted” by the news.
“Our little town of Rolleston needs more high-schooling, and that would affect our decision on whether she were to go to Rolleston College. The campus isn’t big enough as it is.”
Laura Halliday also has two children at Clearview, one of whom will be moving up schools in two years.
“It does make me angry to think about,” she said of the delayed Rolleston College development. “In my mind it might be worth considering other options, because it’s not fit for purpose and [the government] acknowledged that it wasn't fit for purpose.”
And mum Marie Riley said: “High school is definitely one drawback of this area - just the one option that’s just not big enough. It’s definitely not going to be if they’re not expanding it.
“I don’t think delaying [the development] is a good idea, that’s for sure. We need more, not less.”
Reassurances for Rolleston
Education Minister Erica Stanford said she sympathised with the college’s principal Rachel Skelton, Rolleston and the hundreds of other schools facing construction cuts.
“I completely understand the frustration of principals like Rachel Skelton who have put in so much time, effort and expertise into developing school building projects.
“This is exactly why we’re having a ministerial inquiry because I am not happy about what’s been happening in the school property pipeline.”
The ministry has paused 20 building projects and told Stanford 350 schools may have construction plans with unrealistic expectations.
She said she had been “disappointed by the lack of communication” between the ministry and communities and had urged them to converse “clearly and quickly” with schools.
Stanford said she had assurances from the ministry that Rolleston College was being provided with “enough classrooms for the roll as it stands”.
“Funding fit-for-purpose school infrastructure is a priority for this Government.”
Labour education spokesperson Jan Tinetti said the cuts were “not justified”.
“It looks like Christopher Luxon and Erica Stanford are choosing tax cuts over having enough classrooms and fit-for-purpose buildings for young people to learn in.
“This Government is not even going to do the basics in school property and cater for roll growth. Where does the minister expect all of these young people to learn?”
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon last week rejected that the cuts to school building projects were related to his directive to find 6.5% worth of savings in public spending to fund tax cuts.
On Monday he declined to comment on Rolleston College specifically but blamed Labour for “poor governance and management”.
The Ministry of Education’s head of property, Sam Fowler, also said Rolleston College’s second campus was “a priority” for investment.
The proposed campus plans had reduced the scope of the first stage of the development “to reflect what is needed when the campus opens”, he said.
“The college raised several issues with what was proposed, and we will continue to work with them to ensure that the new facilities meet the need.
“Growth in the area is high and additional capacity is needed in the network. Further stages of development will continue to grow the campus over time as the college roll grows.”
Stage one of the school’s new campus will still include a a 24-classroom STEM block, 12 temporary classrooms and a single-court gymnasium.
Stages two and three of the campus are uncomfirmed.