If you have received the ministry deadline

These are entirely my own thoughts. I don’t want to spell things out too much because it is a matter of tactics. Please e-mail with your thoughts and questions. I may add further ideas as they come to mind.

I will enumerate for clarity:

1. You should seek legal counsel from NZEI or NZPF on some of the matters (I have not checked this out, but I’m sure they will come to the party).
2. There is no way the ministry can rush you about the time-line: stick to your original one; indeed, have genuine discussions with a broad range of people, including the ministry; a couple of phone calls just won’t suffice – the ministry must negotiate in good faith.
3. After all, it is not just the ministry you have to negotiate with but also your community.
4. Take your time – the government is using the cover of the World Cup to work the numbers to their advantage for the election.
5. We need a number of schools to take things through to board dismissal: these will be witnesses to the travesty that is government actions.
6. If you think you could be one of those schools, communicate that to NZEI, NZPF, BTAC, or nearby schools of a similar mind.
7. If, eventually, however, you decide you will be one of those schools to change their charter, you should use the two clauses suggested by the ministry.
8. If you do this, in consulting with your community, keep using the words ‘under duress’.
9. In sending in the charter, in the covering letter use the words ‘under duress’, or anywhere else you think appropriate.
10. Make it clear, that when push comes to shove, it is your professional duty for moral responsibility to trump legal obligations.
11. The opposition to national standards will continue with a new sign up of schools, under new conditions, with new tactics.
12. Remember, the authoritarian actions by the government represent a victory for the opposition to national standards