Hipkins Chris: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to MinistersText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHipkins Chris: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers[Sitting date: 08 April 2014. Volume:697;Page:16951. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]11.CHRIS HIPKINS (Labour—Rimutaka)to the Minister of Education: Is she satisfied that the proposed creation of new Executive Principal and Expert Teacher positions has the support and confidence of school teachers and principals; if so why?Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education):Yes because when I visit schools every week they tell me so—they tell me so at airports and on planes at events and in communications to me and to my office—and because the evidence in New Zealand and internationally affirms this direction including the critical acclaim it got from experts at the International Summit on the Teaching Profession 2 weeks ago. But there is lots more work to do.Chris Hipkins: What evidence did she rely on when determining that a successful school principal could be removed from their school for 2 days a week without that having an impact on the success of their own school?Hon HEKIA PARATA: The policy intent and parameters are set out in the Cabinet paper that was made publicly available the day we announced that investment. We also announced that a working group would be put together to work through the details including the specifics around the appointment of executive principals. The evidence supports the direction of explicating excellence across career pathways distinguishing between executive principals and principals.Hon Member: What?Hon HEKIA PARATA: Perhaps I should explain—differentiating excellence.Chris Hipkins: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker. I was not asking—Mr SPEAKER: Order! I know the point the member is going to raise. On this occasion I think the question has been addressed but I can understand why the member is not satisfied. I will allow the member an additional supplementary question.Chris Hipkins: Thank you Mr Speaker. What evidence did she rely on when determining that a successful school principal could be removed from their school for 2 days a week without that having an impact on the success of their own school?Hon HEKIA PARATA: The first thing in answer is: those decisions have not been finalised yet because we are consulting with a working group from the sector. The second answer to that is that we already have the situation in New Zealand where principals contribute to the system beyond their school and are out of their school for the periods that that requires.Chris Hipkins: Will the principal of a school that is being overseen by an executive principal be primarily responsible to the executive principal or to their school’s board of trustees?Hon HEKIA PARATA: The proposal is actually for the executive principal to be focused on an achievement challenge or a set of achievement challenges across a community of schools. It is not proposed that it is a hierarchical position to which the existing principals report.Chris Hipkins: I raise a point of order Mr Speaker.Mr SPEAKER: If the member is raising a point of order as to whether that question has been addressed on this occasion it has been.Chris Hipkins: All right. Well I will move on to the next one. Will a principal of a school that is the subject of an executive principal be primarily responsible to the executive principal or to their school’s board of trustees?Hon HEKIA PARATA: As I have already indicated principals of existing schools will retain their accountability to their board of trustees. The proposal for the new roles is to work on achievement challenges across a community of schools. It will not displace and is not proposed to displace the existing employment relationships.Chris Hipkins: Will the executive principals remain primarily accountable to the board of trustees of the school that employs them; if not to whom will they be accountable?Hon HEKIA PARATA: Subject again to the caveat that we are continuing to work with the working group on the design details of this policy because we are consulting I say that it is expected that a group of those boards of trustees of the community of schools will be the authority to whom the executive principal reports.Chris Hipkins: Will school boards of trustees have the final say on whether or not their school is placed under the oversight of an executive principal; if not what role will that board of trustees have in that decision?Hon HEKIA PARATA: For the third time it is not proposed that schools be placed under the oversight of the executive principal.