Principal Ross Preece. Photo supplied.Commercial sponsorship will become an increasingly big player in the business plans of many schools, says Ashburton College principal Ross Preece.

While schools were granted a pool of money each year from the Ministry of Education, there was a growing disconnect between the money granted and a school’s needs, he said, and bridging that shortfall means looking to other funding sources.

For the college, this is likely to be greater financial commitment from the community.

This has already started and from next year the school will offer an outdoor education programme for senior students and this is being funded through the support of local outdoor business Hunting and Fishing.

The course will include modules in fishing, marksmanship, firearm safety as well as skiing and a range of other outdoor activities.

Students will be able to gain NCEA credits from the course.

The new course is just the tip of the iceberg.

Like most schools, the college also needed to look at how it funded many other activities already offered to students.

This could include staples such as the Phoenix Chorus, Phoenix Rising, kapa haka and the strings group, Preece said.

“They all cost money and we’ll be looking for someone who might come on board to support and sponsor one of these.”

Sponsorship will come with branding.

The pot of money granted by the ministry was already stretched very, very thinly, he said and that forced schools to take a long, hard look at where they could maximise impact from the money they spent.

And that, unfortunately meant looking at options that might see it paying for a tutor in a specialist area and for a small group of students.

“If we can’t get sponsorship we will struggle because we’re looking at a shortfall in funding so when we do our budget we have to ask ourselves, is it important for kids to have the opportunity to take part in Phoenix Chorus or to go on trips.

“We need to find sponsors to ensure that things are available to all kids, free.”

The last thing the college wanted was to levy charges on students to take part in those activities as that would put pressure on families, he said.

“I’m looking to create relationships with the community, not just sporting but cultural too.”

McIntosh Builders sponsors the college’s first XV and with Hunting and Fishing coming on board with the new outdoor education course, the framework had been established to bring in more commercial sponsors for other extra curricula activities, Preece said.

By Sue Newman © The Ashburton Guardian - 20 November 2017