The Dunedin City Council might have to step in if the Ministry of Education withdraws funding for a long-running arts education programme at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, Mayor Dave Cull says.
Mr Cull was commenting after the ministry confirmed a final decision on whether to renew its $55,000 annual contract for Learning Experiences Outside the Classroom (LEOTC) at the DPAG would be made next week.
The programme, offering a hands-on introduction to the arts, is used by up to 8000 primary and secondary school pupils in Dunedin each year.
Mr Cull, in a recent statement, had suggested the funding had already been withdrawn.
That had prompted him to write to Education Minister Hekia Parata to express his "disappointment'' and request a review, he said.
"We are disappointed by this decision and perplexed that funding for such a successful and well-subscribed service has been discontinued.''
However, the ministry, in a statement, insisted a final decision had not been made, and was not expected until next week.
Mr Cull, asked to respond, said he remained concerned funding was under threat, but would wait for next week's decision.
"A decision was certainly made and the art gallery was informed that they had been unsuccessful.
"We have been told today that there is another decision to be made, and that is grounds for some hope, so we'll just wait until next week and see, but we were unaware of that until today.''
The programme's value meant the council would have to step in to fund the shortfall, on top of its existing commitment of $15,000 a year, if the ministry's contribution was withdrawn.
It would then have to consider what to do to continue the programme into the future, he said.
"This is too valuable, in our view ... We can't afford, at the moment, to see it drop.''
DPAG director Cam McCracken said the programme offered a "practical visual arts experience'', including a gallery tour, talk and hands-on work, to pupils.
It had been running since 1997 and was "fully booked'' each year, with attendance "well in excess'' of the 6000 per year required by the ministry's contract, he said.
Schools were restricted to two visits each year, but the programme received "rave reviews'' from schools, parents and teachers alike, he said.
"It's something the kids respond really well to, and we've been doing this very successfully for a long time.
"It's a fantastic thing for the cultural life of Dunedin. We've had several generations of schoolchildren who have had this as part of their yearly school experience.‘‘It has wide-reaching educational benefits for the students who participate.''
Shelley Wilde, principal of Tainui School, told the Otago Daily Times the school's 308 pupils visited once each year, and DPAG education teacher John Neumegen, who runs the programme, was an "outstanding'' educator.
He helped draw links between the pupils' studies and the art that captured them, to demonstrate art "has a purpose - it's not just pretty things hanging on the wall that you just walk past and ignore''.
It also offered children a chance to experience art they might not otherwise get, she said.
"That programme takes children into the art gallery that would never normally go in there, because their parents wouldn't think to take them or their parents don't understand the importance of art.
"Yes, we know that reading and writing and maths are critical ... but you can't educate children by doing more reading and writing. They need to be inspired.''
Mr Cull also worried any decision to cut the ministry's funding would have implications for the Otago Museum and Toitu Otago Settlers Museum, both of which had LEOTC contracts for social history programmes.
Lisa Rodgers, the ministry's deputy secretary of early learning and student achievement, said the Government was "committed to raising educational achievement through supporting schools to provide their students with a wide range of rich, innovative learning programmes''.
"Learning Experiences Outside the Classroom programmes are part of this commitment.''
