School teachers' rents up 400%

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 4, Issue 41, 31 March 1987, Page 1

School teachers' rents up 400%

Teachers living in Education Department houses face 400% rent increases as from 1 April. New Zealand Education Institute Branch President Peter Miller says the rent increase will make it even harder to fill vacant positions in country schools. Tlje rent for a country school house will go up to $60 per week and the rental on a town school house will be $80. "A major factor in drawing people to the rural area has been the cheap rents offered" said Mr Miller. He said teachers in this

area lack a lot of support institutions that city teachers can call on. A greater effort on the part of teachers in the rural areas is needed just to keep up with education developments, he said. The removal of the low rent incentives to teachers is out of step with the private sector in the area which offer their staff cheap rents, said Mr Miller. He said the move would result in a more unstable school environment, with more relieving teachers filling positions because it will become harder to find permanent staff.