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<h2><span data-contrast="auto">Newly released documents obtained by NZEI Te Riu Roa on an OIA request show that between 2014 and 2018, charter schools cost up to $48,421 per student annually. </span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:259}"> </span></h2>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">When adjusted for inflation, that figure jumps to around $60,000. The figure is over six times what is spent per student per annum in mainstream schools, which is around $9000 per student. </span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:259}"> </span></p>
<p><a href="https://www.schoolnews.co.nz/latest-print-issue/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Read the Term 1 edition of <em>School News</em> HERE</strong></a> </p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">In total, charter schools running between 2014 and 2018 cost $128 million. Around 30 percent of the cost was made up of administrative costs within the Ministry of Education. </span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:259}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">NZEI Te Riu Roa president Mark Potter says charter schools are a “failed experiment” and says reviving the initiative makes no sense. </span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:259}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“It’s absurd that the government is even thinking about reintroducing this failed and highly expensive policy at the same time as they are backtracking on vital school building projects that put a roof over the heads of our ākonga.</span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:259}"> </span></p>
<blockquote>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“Charter schools are a proven waste of taxpayer money.” </span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:259}"> </span></p>
</blockquote>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Potter says instead, the government should be redirecting funding towards initiatives like smaller class sizes and learning support. </span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:259}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">“That money would be much better spent on initiatives that benefit all students, such as a teacher aide in every classroom, or timely learning support interventions.” </span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:259}"> </span></p>
<p><span data-contrast="auto">Leader of the ACT Party David Seymour has said that charter schools are set to be reinstated in 2025, with their reintroduction to be </span><a href="https://www.schoolnews.co.nz/2024/01/charter-schools-2-0/" target="_blank"><span data-contrast="none">bigger and faster</span></a><span data-contrast="auto"> than in 2014. </span><span data-ccp-props="{";201341983";:0,";335559739";:160,";335559740";:259}"> </span></p>

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