Media Manipulation

There has been a slight touch of weather around here. And with it my Internet connection has been down. But I am back! Before I rush off to find out what has changed out on the Internet, I want to rant.

Mr. Rob Mill. Trevor's poster boy. In both print and on air his school is held up as a network review success. A testament to what will come to the rest of us. And the proof that is held up is the "unexpected" roll growth at Mr Mills school.

But what type of school does Mr Mill run? A high school. Now consider the following, taken from the Ministers own presentation:

What does it show? That high school rolls are due to grow over the next few years.

And where is Mr Mills high school? In Wainuiomata. Now Wainuiomata is a valley with only one way in and out. And on the other side of the valley entrance the other school to be found is Hutt Valley High. One that has an excellent reputation. One that sacrificing Wainouomata parents used drive over to. To give their kids a better chance at a better school. But this relationship has been forced to change. Under Trevor Mallards direction Hutt Valley High has been forced to introduce zoning. A zoning plan that excludes the good people of Wainouomata.

Which leaves the parents of Wainuiomata with only one school to choose.

So to me using Wainuiomata High Schools roll growth as testament to the success of the network review process is dishonest. Yet another whopper.

Oh, and what about the real metric: educational outcomes? Well, my reading of the ERO review is that it is a school that still overcoming the deleterious effects of the network review.

And one last thought on the topic tonight: Taking perfectly good schools with empty classrooms and consolidating them means that our tax payers money has had to be wasted on building new classrooms for the "unexpected" roll growth.

And now, on my newly restored connection, I am of to read the blogsphere...

8:31:56 PM