Cleave Hay confirmed he had his first meeting with the Ministry of Education yesterday to resolve an issue at Gore Main School.
He would be contacting members of staff, board and other community members on the situation.
The announcement was made via a Notice of Direction on the Ministry of Education's website on Monday.
Gore Main School and members of the school's board of trustees declined to comment when contacted by the Otago Daily Times.
Ministry of Education acting deputy secretary of learning support David Wales said the board had supported the board late last year to resolve ''an employment matter'' but measures taken had been unsuccessful.
''We always work with schools to support them to resolve problems themselves, and only intervene as a last resort.''
He said the board had requested a limited statutory manager be appointed to help address the issues and ''to undertake a full scoping of the issues, and then develop an outcomes plan to address these.''
A years 1 to 6 school with a roll of 220 children, Gore Main School's most recent Education Review Office report said a ''concerted effort'' needed to be made to address in-school disparities and build on recent educational improvements.
The report noted greater urgency was needed to lift the achievement of Maori children who were below expected levels in literacy and mathematics.
''Leaders and teachers need to show what they will do differently for these children.''
However, the report also noted that ''the school is very well supported by its parents and wider community''.
Clutha-Southland MP Hamish Walker said Gore Main School was a ''fantastic'' school and he was sure everyone involved would work through the situation.
''This will be an incredibly difficult time for everyone involved and my thoughts are with the staff, board and pupils affected by this appointment.''
Limited statutory management can be requested by the Minister of Education, Secretary of Education, or a school board, and there must be reasonable grounds to believe the move is necessary.
Some powers of the board of trustees are temporarily vested in the limited statutory manager.
