$3 million for 3 students!

TVNZ report:

A Nelson residential school for girls with high needs says it’s not their fault they have just three students.

They had 70 students a decade ago. To go from 70 to 3 will not be just bad luck,

Salisbury School is the only residential special school in New Zealand for girls. In 2012, Hekia Parata tried to close the school but was stopped by the court.

The school was set to be closed again before the then-new Labour Government saved it in 2017.

A decade ago the school had 70 students but that’s declined rapidly in recent years. Various changes have been made to enrolment criteria and processes but none seem to have made much difference.

The school is funded for 20 students and received almost $3 million in Government funding last year.

So because Labour put politics ahead of education, we have $3 million a year being spent on a school for three pupils. It’s like the Yes Minister episode about the hospital with no patients.