The children of Ward School are happy to have Miss Shield as a fulltime teacher after helping to raise half her salary themselves in a fundraising concert.
The school raised $13,000 in a Stars in Their Eyes-type event to help raise funds for about half of Emma Shield's salary, because a slight drop in the school roll meant a drop in funding from the Ministry of Education.
The 48 children at the school are split into junior and senior classes, instead of the three classes last year.
The school has three fulltime teachers, including principal Willem Lampe, who spends half his time teaching and the rest on administration. Without the extra funding, one of the other teachers would have been only half-time.
Last year, the school had three fulltime and one half-time teachers. Mr Lampe said the school just dropped below the "magic number" this year, which meant the level of government funding decreased.
Both classes had pupils of different year levels, which was challenging for one teacher to cater for, he said.
Miss Shield had been teaching at the school part time earlier this year, and said she would not have been able to work full time if the board of trustees and parents had not helped raise the money.
"They didn't have to raise the money for a teacher, but they were able to because they got the community behind them.
"[Having the extra staff] is an advantage to the school and the kids," she said.
It is understood this funding top-up by school communities is not unusual. Marlborough Principals' Association president Bruce Pagan said a school roll could drastically affect staffing levels, especially in schools with 45 to 55 and 95 to 105 pupils.
Most schools in Marlborough had rolls this size, he said.
By SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express
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