In December the ministry appeared to be forcing the George Street Normal School in North Dunedin to reduce its roll from 460 to 350, by way of a proposal to demolish nine classrooms and fund the replacement of only four.
Funding for the replacement classrooms would be based on the number of pupils living in the school’s enrolment zone.
Only 103 of its pupils were from within its zone last year, meaning funding would be limited.
The ministry attended a school board meeting on Tuesday to discuss options.
Board chairwoman Holly Hammond said the board was approaching the issue with every angle possible.
"We took back the information from the community at the end of last year and there was a strong indication ... that they want to retain the school as it is in terms of enrolment and the culture, ... and that we kept our two sites as well.
"We’ve gone back to the ministry with that and we are essentially in a process where they keep answering our questions and we keep seeking clarification."
The board was questioning the ministry about what the school’s entitlements were, possible funding options for replacement classrooms and what it would mean for roll size.
It asked what the ministry had taken into account when addressing those questions.
The school was still taking in enrolments as usual and was accepting up to 460 this year.
When the board had more clarity from the ministry it would return to consult further with the school’s community.
