Yesterday, the NZ Herald reported:
You've got to wonder why they wanted to keep charter school funding information secret... I mean what are they trying to hide?
This is taxpayers' money after all, and therefore the public has a right to know how and where it's being spent.
Which should raise suspicions about why the information was withheld in the first place.
That's a sure way to get a lot of dubious organisations setting up charter schools just so they can acquire property, and perhaps that's what a few of John Banks' mates have been planning all along... Talk about dodgy.
The Ombudsman's office found Associate Education Minister John Banks wrongly withheld information about how proposed charter schools would be funded.
The Post Primary Teachers Association made a request under the Official Information Act (OIA) about resourcing, capital and operating funding for charter schools. The information was withheld in February last year.
You've got to wonder why they wanted to keep charter school funding information secret... I mean what are they trying to hide?
This is taxpayers' money after all, and therefore the public has a right to know how and where it's being spent.
Ombudsman David McGee has recommended that Mr Banks release the information.
He advised that there was no good reason to withhold information on the funding of charter schools.
Which should raise suspicions about why the information was withheld in the first place.
Charter schools would get money for set up costs and property funding that their private-sector backers would be able to keep if a school folded.
That's a sure way to get a lot of dubious organisations setting up charter schools just so they can acquire property, and perhaps that's what a few of John Banks' mates have been planning all along... Talk about dodgy.