The group behind a bid to change an Auckland school to a charter school against its will says battle lines have been drawn and it is no longer taking feedback on its proposal.
Bangerz Education and Wellbeing Trust and a former board member, Siaosi Gavet, want to convert Kelston Boys’ High School.
The school itself says it’s an unsupported bid that it doesn’t endorse, and it’s not wanted by senior leaders or staff.
The trust has consultation open until midnight on Friday.
But, in a document posted on its website, it says the school’s open letter it put on social media ends that consultation.
“The letter attracted the expected, sometime abusive, responses from a small minority of parents and rather more responses from those with less engagement with the school,” it said.
“In our view, it ends consultation as the acting-principal has drawn self-serving battle lines.”
Anatomy of charter school takeover bid
News of takeover bids is nothing unusual in the business world. But the takeover case playing out in Auckland is unusual because it doesn’t involve a business, but a public school.
Kelston Boys’ High says it’s a school with longstanding traditions and all-round excellence in developing exemplary young men.
It took out the World Schools’ Rugby Festival in Abu Dhabi and lists several of what it says are distinguished former students.
But a former board member says the school is not doing good enough, and that’s where what amounts to a hostile takeover bid comes in.
Gavet and the Bangerz Education and Wellbeing Trust have lodged an application to convert it to a charter school, and are aiming to have it done by the new year.
It’s normally a school itself that puts itself up to be converted to a charter school.
But this time it’s outsiders, and the school doesn’t want it.
Who can apply to be a charter school?
Charter schools need a sponsor, and that sponsor is approved by the Charter School Authorisation Board to operate a school.
But it doesn’t have to be the school – an application can be put in by a school’s board “or one or more members of a school community together with a prospective sponsor”.
In this case, Bangerz Education and Wellbeing Trust is teaming up with Gavet.
The authorisation board then considers an application and must also consider how much support there is from the community.
When converting an existing school instead of setting up a school from scratch, the same board must also consult with the community to find out how much support there is.
That means talking with the existing school board, the school community, staff, students and anyone else the board thinks could help.
Bangerz Education and Wellbeing Trust says it has been consulting itself. Its own consultation period is due to close at midnight on Friday.
Who is Bangerz Education and Wellbeing Trust?
The trust says it is a “by youth, for youth” charity with a board made up of Pasifika and Māori under the age of 25.
It says its goal is to help youth, especially Pasifika and Māori, with learning and training.
Gavet, meanwhile, is chief executive and co-founder of Pro-Pare Management Trust, which says it is a youth development service for young people who like sport.
In an emailed response to questions from RNZ, Gavet said a charter school would give more flexibility to better influence curriculum and resources.
“Basically with more freedom to operate within a modern learning environment,” he said.
“We would like to reset the narrative, so to speak, and involve the school community as much as we possibly can, by giving them a voice at our advisory board meetings, to name just one example.”
In their application, the trust and Gavet said teachers support the charter school plan but don’t want to speak out.
In his response to RNZ, Gavet has “found generally there to be opposition”.
“For those who are supportive but choose to remain anonymous, we completely understand that,” he said.
He told RNZ he respected the school’s decision to post its opposition on social media.
“That is its right. I understand why people are cautious, change is unsettling. In our view it’s about our community and shaping education that works for our young men and our community.”
Gavet said he and the trust were now waiting on direction on what to do next from the Authorisation Board.
Meanwhile, the trust says Kelston Boys’ opposition letter “makes the choice clear”.
“On the one hand, the school continues on its current path where NCEA Level 3 is accepted as the leaving qualification and the school does very well in sports,” it said.
“On the other hand, if the school converts, academic achievement lifts and the school continues to do well in activities outside the classroom.”
Labour MP for Kelston Carmel Sepuloni said she was aware of the situation.
“This a concerning issue that has been raised with me as local MP by the school. I’ve since spoken with the Minister of Education, who has assured me she’d look into this.”
Kelston Boys’ High School has not responded to requests for comment.
By Kim Baker Wilson for rnz.co.nz
