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Hato Petera College has begun the school year with fewer than 30 students ranging from year 9 to year 13.
That is about half the number of students on its roll compared to last year.
Rudy Taylor, the chairman of the Hato Petera Whanau Trust, said, while that number is low, he thinks it can be built up.
The Ministry of Education’s head of sector enablement and support, Katrina Casey, said last year the Catholic Diocese of Auckland told Hato Petera College the hostel facilities would be closed.
Without these facilities, the college now has to operate as a day school.
Earlier Hato Petera Principal John Matthews said “we had potentially 89 students [but] because of no accommodation and the latest barrier being no funding we’ve got 25 confirmed students returning and another dozen or so yet to confirm.”
Casey said the Ministry of Education understands the board is working with families to arrange private accommodation for those who need it
Operational funding is based on a school’s roll and the school type so there is limited funding available for the college, Casey said.
As a result, the college is facing operational challenges and the Ministry of Education is working to “determine the level of additional assistance it now needs to manage and respond to its challenges”
Taylor said, if the school, Ministry of Education and Catholic Diocese don’t work together, there is a possibility the school could shut all together.
“There a risk in everything that something could happen. We can only do what’s good for the people.”
A spokesperson for the Catholic Church said the students’ safety and care is priority and as well as being financially viable a boarding facility would “need to be properly administered and run by competent supervisors to provide a caring and truly Catholic environment”.
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