Schooling infrastructure
This factsheet outlines the major investments to schooling infrastructure announced in Budget 2010.
Budget 2010 invests $349.3 million in new operating and capital funding over four years in providing for new, and maintaining existing, school property. This factsheet outlines the major investments.
Providing for new school property
$51.1 million in new operating and capital funding over four years will enable Government to build three new schools and purchase two new school sites.
Fixing weather tightness problems
$82 million capital funding in 2010/11 will pay for repairs at schools with weather tightness problems.
$22 million operational funding over two years will pay for a national survey of high-risk schools buildings to identify possible weather tightness issues that need repair.
The Ministry of Education is also implementing measures to ensure that new buildings don’t suffer from weather tightness failure. These include developing new design standards and auditing design and construction.
If a school identifies a possible weather tightness problem they should contact their local Ministry of Education office.
Removing old buildings
$40 million operational funding over four years will help pay for the disposal of old buildings that schools want removed from their sites. It will also help pay for the demolition of buildings on closed school sites that are subject to vandalism.
Broadband investments
Budget 2010 invests $48.3 million in preparing schools for ultra-fast broadband under the School Network Upgrade Project, and in extending the National Education Network trial.
This year, up to another 240 schools will get upgrades of their data and infrastructure, to enable them to use ultra-fast broadband. Schools can register their interest in an upgrade at network.upgrades@minedu.govt.nz [no spam].
An additional 300 schools will take part in the National Education Network, which gives access to online education content and services through a dedicated private network. Schools interested in joining the extension can complete the survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/29PZPK6 to confirm their eligibility.