Feds in new school of hard shocks as NSW threatens to sue over Gonski funding change
LORETO Kirribilli, Monte Sant’ Angelo in North Sydney, and Brigidine College in St Ives, are among a number of the city’s most prestigious schools facing cuts under proposed education reforms.
NSW
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NSW Education Minister Rob Stokes is considering court action to safeguard the state’s share of education dollars after Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull revealed a major push to end Australia’s education “funding war”.
Mr Stokes revealed his concerns about the share of federal money agreed to with the former Labor government in the wake of Mr Turnbull’s announcement yesterday that he had enlisted his close friend David Gonski to equalise school funding across the nation.
“I am very concerned this may lead to a lessening of the funding that the federal government has already committed to provide to schools in NSW,” Mr Stokes said.
Despite the new reforms increasing the federal government’s share of funding for both private and public schools, hundreds of schools will be worse off under the changes.
“The time has come to bring the school funding wars to an end and to focus with renewed energy on ensuring that all our children have great schools and great teachers so that they can realise their full potential,” Mr Turnbull said.
“The Turnbull government will deliver the real Gonski needs-based funding model that Labor didn’t.”
The reforms increase funding by $18.6 billion over a decade, although this is still $22.3 billion less than Labor’s proposed policy, removing 27 special deals put in place earlier to push states into accepting the Gonski agreement.
Funding will hit an annual $30.6 billion by 2027 compared with $17.5 billion provided this year.
“The government is acting to right Labor’s wrongs, including where difficult decisions are required,” Mr Turnbull said.
“This new package provides equal federal treatment across all states and is about delivering quality schools for all Australian students.
“It will set Australian students on the path to academic excellence and achieve real needs-based funding for students from all backgrounds, in every town and city, in every region and state, in every classroom.”
It will mean that the federal government will pay for 20 per cent of funding for public schools, up from 17 per cent, and 80 per cent of private school funding, an increase from an average of 77 per cent.
Businessman Mr Gonski, whose previous 319-page report on school funding was commissioned by the former Labor government in 2010, will again be drafted to review how to best allocate the additional money, including recommending the most effective teaching and learning strategies.
But federal Labor flagged it would oppose the reforms.
“What we get today is a smoke and mirrors, pea-and-thimble effort to hide the fact that instead of cutting $30 billion over the next decade, the government will cut $22 billion over the next decade,” Labor’s education spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek said.
“At the end of the day we’ve had a process that has been secretive, that has excluded the states and territories from any discussions.”
Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham would not be drawn on the estimated 24 schools, all located in the eastern states, that would lose funding under the reforms.
Another 353 will have the growth in their funding slowed.
But the government will also legislate to stop states shifting the cost of education to the Commonwealth by cutting their schools’ funding.
A number of Sydney’s most prestigious schools are “over-funded” according to government statistics. Those include Loreto Kirribilli, which receives in excess of $4.7 million, Monte Sant’ Angelo in North Sydney, which receives an additional $5.2 million, and Brigidine College in St Ives, which is overpaid by about $4 million.
Those overpayments came after the Gillard government promised “no school will lose money” in introducing the Gonski reforms to head off a private school revolt.
Mr Stokes said the extra funding was welcome, as was the commitment to the Gonski model. But he said schools did not have the “clarity” to plan their budgets for next year, or to make decisions about staffing, expansions and the needs of their students.
“We don’t have a war with the federal government; we have an agreement with the federal government,” Mr Stokes said.
“It appears today that the Commonwealth is moving away from that agreement and it is not something that is acceptable to the NSW government.
“We will continue to insist that we have a legitimate expectation for the Commonwealth to meet the deal that they have signed up to.
“We have faced uncertainty ever since 2014 and now this announcement doesn’t provide the certainty principals will need as they plan their budgets.”
The government was considering “all of the options available to us,” he said.
His concerns come as Catholic and independent school leaders also warned that fees could increase if funding was lowered.
The National Catholic Education Commission said it appeared the majority of the 24 schools targeted to lose funding were Catholic.
“Today’s announcement has only created immediate uncertainty for principals, teachers and parents, who need to make decisions now about schooling next year,” a commission spokesman said.
Mr Birmingham said schools that would lose funding would have access to a $39.8 million “adjustment fund” over the next decade on a case-by-case basis.
MORE BUCKS FOR KIDS TO GO BACK TO BASICS
PARENTS have welcomed the government’s plan to overhaul school funding with many hoping schools use the extra cash to ensure children are mastering the basics.
Dad-of-three Dominic Radic believes the extra school funding needs to be spent on public primary schools.
“The government should definitely be focusing on our children’s education, there should be a lot of funding for education, especially primary schools,” said Mr Radic, whose three daughters, Stephanie, 11, Isabella, 10, and Thalia, 9, attend Crown St Public School in Surry Hills.
Mr Radic also hopes the extra funds allow primary schools to devote more time and resources to teaching the basics such as maths and reading.
“It’s a good school, but definitely I believe there should be a lot of funding, because what we’ve found is the primary schools are struggling to educate the kids when it comes to spelling, reading and writing,” he said.
With Stephanie entering high school next year, Mr Radic said primary schools must ensure children are well prepared to advance to secondary school.
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