SCHOOL COMMITTEES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 250, 19 September 1940, Page 11

SCHOOL COMMITTEES

MANAWATU-OROUA GROUP. ELECTION OF OFFICERS. The annual meeting of the Mana-watu-Oroua School Committees’ Association was held last evening, the president (Mr W. B. Tenncnt) being in the chair. _ ' The report (as previously published) and tlie balance-sheet were adopted. The following officers were elected : President, Mr Tennent; vice-president, Mr H. W. Cox (Hokowhitu); secretary, Mr P. E. Crowthor (Hokowhitu); committee, Messrs W. J. Amies (Roilgotea), E. N, Rowe (Waitohi), W. G. Black (Central),- J. W. Batckelar (Waituna West), R. A. Melarlane (Taonui), and F. G. Opie (College Street) . ■ The Wanganui Education Board was asked by the association in June to give attention to the following resolutions passed by the association (1) That all children where dental services had not been available through lack of facilities or neglect of staff be allowed to enter the clinio scheme at any time when such services were available; (2) that the matter of capitation and school cinemas be again brought to the attention of the board, as no further news about this matter had been received since February; (2) that the association desires to know whether it is the intention of the department to reduce capitation and supplementary grants to those primary schools servicing the local intermediate schools, and to pay such grants on the basis of the number of children remaining on each primary school roll after the establishment of such intermediate school; in that event this association considers that primary school committees should not bo penalised by any departmental actions in establishing an intermediate school and requests the Education Board to arrange with the department to protect them against such contingency. The association further desires to emphasise that the existing minimum janitor, fuelling and general maintenance service is already difficult to maintain, and the reduced roll number at each primary school consequent on the establishment of the Intermediate School will not reduce the area of buildings and grounds and their cost of maintenance. The following replies were received from the Education Boardln the matter of children at dental clinics it was suggested that representations bo made to the Division of Dental Hygiene, which had control of the school dental service. So far the board had not received any further reply to representations asking that the regulations be amended to allow committees to purchase film projectors from the incidental grant. To date the board had not received advice from the department of approval of any special scale of payments to committees of contributing schools. The board had considered the resolution relating to the matter of incidental grants to Palmerston North schools when the Intermediate School was opened. The department had indicated that them was no possibility of any further amount being placed on the estimates for incidental expenses of school committees. It stated that there was no objection to the boards maintaining the present grants to the Palmerston North schools until the end of next year, provided it could be done out of the funds available. As the department bad indicated that it could not state what amount would he voted by Parliament next year for incidental expenses, the grant at present being paid would be continued until the end of next March. The board would defer fm-tlier consideration until the annual grading of schools. On the motion of Mr W. H. H. Foster, who criticised the department’s attitude as short-sighted, because visual education was a coming necessity, it was decided to ask the board again to mako representations about the purchase of film projectors from incidental grants. Discussion on the capitation grant was taken in committee.

lii answer to a question it was explained that t'he provisional committee of_ the new Intermediate School would consist of a representative of each committee of contributing schools till May, when a representative of each contributing school and six parents’ representatives would bo appointed. The Hokowhitu School brought forward a resolution to the effect that all parents should bo notified direct of any. dental clinic treatment to children, and also that a yearly report be made on the health, both dental and general, of the children. Mr Cox drew attention to the fact that the department did nob accept any responsibility for children when on their way to dental clinics, and would not be liable for an accident met with by a child on the way, although the cliild would be going there on the teacher's instructions. Children were also left to return from the dental clinics on their own, in some cases with teeth extracted, and he claimed that such an extraction would bring more reaction in a child than an adult.. Under these circumstances ' the child should receive proper supervision on these occasions, and notification of these visits should bo sent beforehand to parents. Mr Black urged that the resolution should go further than that, and ask that no extraction be made without the previous consent in writing of parents,and that , parents should have the option of being at the clinic with the child during the extraction of teeth. Mr Cox said that the Teachers’ Institute was taking the matter up. Mr Crowther said that t'he matter affected only schools with clinics outside the school grounds. The resolution, with the addition suggested by Mr Black, was carried. The chairman was authorised to bring all dental service questions raised at the meeting before departmental officers.