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: 11 February 2014. Volume:696;Page:15753. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]7.CHRIS HIPKINS (Labour—Rimutaka) to theMinister of Education: Is she satisfied that the establishment of Partnership Schools represents value for money to the taxpayer?Hon HEKIA PARATA (Minister of Education): Yes. They offer choice to parents and students. There is no compulsion to attend. They offer opportunity for raising achievement for five out of five students. We cannot keep doing exactly what we have always done or we will keep getting what we have always got. All five of the schools offer the New Zealand curriculum and/or Te Marautanga o Aotearoa. Of the 36 teachers employed 32 are registered and four for non-curriculum subjects are not registered. All five schools are not-for-profit. All five are near or above enrolment. In our education system we have just over 830000 students. These five schools provide for 370 students. In the words of Mrs Sally Ikinofo the chairperson of The Rise UP Academy and the Labour electorate chair of Māngere I think that we should give these schools a chance.Chris Hipkins: Will partnership schools be funded on a broadly similar basis to State schools or will they be funded more generously on a per student basis?Hon HEKIA PARATA: I gather that the Opposition is yet again taking its advice from Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA) blogs. Smaller schools cost us more whether they are partnership schools or State schools or State-integrated schools. We have used decile 3 funding as the general comparison. I will wait to hear the particular numbers from the member but I would invoke your deputy leader’s advice to compare apples with apples.Chris Hipkins: I am very happy to help. Why is she satisfied that the taxpayer is getting value for money from partnership schools given that on a per student basis some are being funded up to $40000 per student in the first year about five times the average rate of funding per student for State schools?Hon HEKIA PARATA: I am sure that the member wants to thank the PPTA for its blog on those numbers. Where it got them from was the original Cabinet paper. I would recommend the member read that paper and see that there is a different range depending on what the size of the school is and the nature of the achievement level required. If we averaged everything across the State system we too would find those. So yes I am satisfied with the value for money for these young people.Chris Hipkins: If she is arguing that the smaller size of partnership schools is the rationale for them receiving a higher funding rate why did she use falling rolls as the reason for closing State schools in Christchurch and in other places around the country?Hon HEKIA PARATA: That is not the argument that I am making. Again there are a few facts to get in the way of the argument. In New Zealand according to the July 2013 roll data 712 of our 2500 schools have fewer than 100 students. A further 290 ofour schools have fewer than 150 students. So just under half of all schools in New Zealand are small schools. They cost more.Chris Hipkins: Are partnership schools guaranteed that they will receive all of the funding allocated in their contracts regardless of the number of students that they actually enrol meaning that their per student funding could actually be higher than $40000 per student in the first year; if so why are they treated differently to State schools which lose funding on a quarterly basis if their roll drops?Hon HEKIA PARATA: No.Chris Hipkins: I seek leave to table one of the charter schools’ funding contracts which makes it clear that they are funded for their minimum roll regardless—Mr SPEAKER: Order! Leave is sought to table this particular funding contract. Is there any objection? There is none. It can be tabled.Document by leave laid on the Table of the House.