A proposal for a new way of running Wakatipu High School in Queenstown is expected by the end of September, the Ministry of Education's troubleshooter says.
A forum for parents is planned for the next four to six weeks, before the new structure is announced in response to an Education Review Office (ERO) report criticising senior management's "communication, consultation and change management" of the school's revised curriculum, which "resulted in unnecessary anxiety and stress for teachers".
Limited statutory manager Peter Macdonald, of Christchurch, was asked yesterday about progress on a draft "proposal of change" for Queenstown's only secondary school. He said the school's structure had not altered while its roll swelled.
Asked if personality clashes were the root cause of the school's communication breakdown and if the proposal would mean job cuts, he said he thought the problem lay in the organisational structure not helping cohesion.
"The senior management structure is a principal, a deputy principal and two assistant principals.
"I'm simply focusing on the questions as to whether that is the best and most effective structure in the context of this particular time frame, from a point of view of a more cohesive senior management unit.
"I would rather think the reorganisation is one that certainly does not upset people's careers."
Mr Macdonald interviewed 60 people, mainly staff members, plus some parents and trustees, and met the school's senior management team and heads of departments several times.
He said there was no question changes would be made, because he found the issues raised in the ERO report, released in February, to be accurate.
"The common theme is really confirming what ERO has said.
A very large majority of the people I've spoken with have said the school's upward and downward communication is ineffective and that the structure needs to be looked at as to how we can improve communication.
"What I'm currently spending a lot of time on is asking those staff members, those outside advisers for suggestions on models of organisational structure which exist and work effectively for secondary schools of that size and type."
More feedback from stakeholder groups would be heard by mid-August and information would be collated for the proposal, Mr Macdonald said.
"I'm pretty confident by the end of September announcements will be made."
In May, Wakatipu High became the eighth school where the employment representative was appointed by the ministry.
Wakatipu High School
• School roll as of yesterday: 705 pupils in years 9 to 14.
• International pupils: About 40.
• Staff: About 70.
• Pupil gender composition: Male 51%, female 49%.
• Ethnic composition: NZ European 62%, Asian 12%, Maori 9%, European 8%, Latin American 5%, Australian 4.5%.
• Decile: 10.
• School roll in March, 2008: 802 pupils in years 7 to 13.
• International pupils in March, 2008: 24.
• Wakatipu High School moved from Ballarat St and opened on its present Fryer St site in 1980, with 250 pupils and about 25 teachers.
Sources: Education Review Office and Wakatipu High School
