Catholic Education will fight Gonski 2.0 if it results in children leaving their system due to cost
CATHOLIC education chiefs today warned schools could be forced to close because of the “Gonski 2.0” funding overhaul announced by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
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CATHOLIC education chiefs today warned schools could be forced to close because of the “Gonski 2.0” funding overhaul announced by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
National Catholic Education Commission acting executive director Danielle Cronin said parents also could face fee increases and financially pressured Catholic schools may lose students to government schools.
“That is always a possibly when your funding doesn’t meet resourcing needs,” Ms Cronin said when asked whether schools that lost money could be forced to close.
“Our fear at present is that the Turnbull government is committed to undermining our ability to provide (an equitable education) for families,” she said.
“Families are under fee pressure at the moment … and we believe any increase in school fees will place undue pressure on families and may cause them to withdraw their children from Catholic schools and send them to government schools.”
But federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham said extra funds would be in place to help schools facing funding cuts transition to the new model.
The National Catholic Education Commission is seeking “urgent talks” with the government over the detail of yesterday’s announcement saying “Catholic schools must remain affordable and accessible to all Australian families”.
Ms Cronin said: “The Catholic schools sector had to wait until after the federal government announced its new funding program before we were given any meaningful detail about what was in it.
“That’s simply not good enough for a sector that educates one-in-five Australian children — the second biggest school sector in the country.
“Today, I am calling on the federal government to give Catholic school parents some reassurance by sitting down with me and other Catholic education leaders to provide more detail about its funding approach.
“All yesterday’s announcement has done is provide more uncertainty for the 1731 Catholic schools in Australia.
“It’s a very poor process when a government announces a new 10-year school funding proposal without consulting the second largest provider of school education in the country.”
Ms Cronin said the commission was trying to find out how the new funding model would affect individual schools.
“We’re also concerned about funding for 2018 because the current funding agreement runs out this year and the government’s plan needs to pass through both houses of parliament.
“We will fight any changes that will force parents to move their children from a Catholic school because they can no longer afford the fees.”
Senator Birmingham said 24 Catholic schools might suffer a 1 or 2 per cent cut, translating to $1 or $2 per student.
He said in the federal government would set up an online calculator so parents and schools could find out how their school was affected.
“We will have, over the next few days, available a public calculator that will enable anybody — a parent, a school leader or others — to go online and take a look at what our funding model means for each and every school.
“But before we get to the point of releasing those details publicly, it is only fair and reasonable that we have time for my department to speak with those 24 schools to make sure they have time to speak with their school council and their parent community to make sure that they appreciate and understand how it will be implemented.
“But ultimately every school will be at the same point at the needs-based funding payment based on their individual school circumstances.”
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