Independent schools for disadvantaged students spared huge funding cut

Independent schools catering for disadvantaged students have been spared a ‘funding shock’ which would have seen hundreds of thousands of dollars slashed from their budgets.

Independent schools catering for the nation’s most at-risk students have been spared a “funding shock” that would have led to hundreds of thousands of dollars being slashed from their budgets next year.

About 175 schools were informed in October that under changes to their funding model, they would stand to lose anywhere from several thousand to more than $1 million annually from January.

In total, $44 million was set to be cut from special assistance schools, schools for special purposes, and those with a majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students under the change from a “deeming” funding process to one calculated on student background data.

Independent Schools Australia (ISA) has been calling on federal Education Minister Jason Clare and the Education Department to reverse the changes, originally given the green light by the Morrison government.

On Friday, Mr Clare announced a solution he claimed would ensure any funding shock to schools was minimised while data collection methods were bedded down.

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare.

Independent Schools Australia CEO Margery Evans.

“These schools do incredibly important work,” he said. “Switching from one funding model to another in an instant is not fair.

“I’ve made the decision to transition to a new funding model that all other schools use over the next four years.

“I’ve also informed ISA that the Choice and Affordability Fund is to be used to provide additional support to these schools in the future.”

Under the new solution, affected schools will experience a gradual tapering of funding over four years to allow them adequate time to adjust to the data collection method.

ISA chief executive Margery Evans welcomed the four-year transition period to new funding levels, which she said would allow schools time to plan.

“We will continue working with the Department of Education to ensure smooth and gradual transition for these schools,” she said.

“It is vital that the work of the special assistance schools (for students who’ve disengaged with mainstream schools), the special schools (catering for students with disability) and those educating majority Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students continues with confidence and certainty.”

Indie Schools Australia - which provides an alternative education for students aged 15 to 18 across 25 campuses nationally - stood to lose more than $5 million annually under the changes.

Principal Rodney Wangman said this would have been disastrous for the organisation, and he welcomed the “change of heart” from the minister.

“At a reduced funding level, we would have been forced to reduce the amount of support or student benefit we provide to nearly 2000 students across Australia,” he said.

“Students attend our schools because of their educationally at-risk circumstances, and the additional funding is necessary to provide the individualised support to re-engage them back into education, and give them a better chance to go on to further higher education or find employment.

“The minister’s acknowledgment of this issue for our schools is appreciated, however the devil’s always in the detail so we look forward to finding out the detail in the new proposal.”

Meantime a Central Coast school principal, whose school had faced cuts of more than $750,000 next year, suggested Mr Clare’s new proposal was simply “a stay of execution”.

“The changes would have forced us to change our school model entirely from next year,” the principal, who did not wish to be named, said.

“As a special assistance school we cater for students with social, emotional and other behavioural needs - which require a lot of support teachers and low student to teacher ratios.

“All that wrap-around support is what makes our school different - but with the cuts, we would have no longer be able to afford all those roles from next year.

“However while this won’t come into place next year now, it will gradually be implemented over the following three years - so we’ll still have to come up with hundreds of thousands of dollars from somewhere.”

Senator Jacqui Lambie has also fought for the cuts to be reversed. “I’m open to anything that’ll fix this funding stuff-up, but the minister can’t guarantee that kids won’t be worse off under this new funding model,” she said.

“That’s not good enough for me. These kids need stability in their lives. Schools need certainty that they’ll get the same funding into the future.”

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